# 1985–86 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team

The 1985–86 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represented Indiana University. Their head coach was Bobby Knight, who was in his 15th year. The team played its home games in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The Hoosiers finished the regular season with an overall record of 21–8 and a conference record of 13–5, finishing 2nd in the Big Ten Conference. IU was invited to participate in the 1986 NCAA tournament as a 3-seed; however, IU made a quick exit with a first-round loss to 14-seed Cleveland State.
The season was memorialized and popularized by A Season on the Brink, a 1986 book by John Feinstein. For the book, Bobby Knight granted almost unprecedented access to his team, as well as insights into his private life. The book was well received and is often referred to as "the bestselling sports book of all time." The book and season was later dramatized in a two-hour, made-for-ESPN movie of the same name that first aired in the spring of 2002.

## Roster

| No. | Name | Position | Ht. | Year | Hometown |
| 11 | Todd Jadlow | F/C | 6–9 | So. | Salina, Kansas |
| 12 | Steve Alford | G | 6–2 | Jr. | New Castle, Indiana |
| 14 | Magnus Pelkowski | C | 6–10 | RS So. | Bogota, Colombia |
| 20 | Ricky Calloway | G/F | 6–6 | Fr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 21 | Winston Morgan | G/F | 6–5 | Sr. | Anderson, Indiana |
| 22 | Stew Robinson | G | 6–1 | Sr. | Anderson, Indiana |
| 23 | Delray Brooks | G | 6–4 | So. | Michigan City, Indiana |
| 24 | Daryl Thomas | F/C | 6–7 | Jr. | Westchester, Illinois |
| 30 | Todd Meier | F/C | 6–8 | Jr. | Oshkosh, Wisconsin |
| 32 | Steve Eyl | F | 6–6 | So. | Hamilton, Ohio |
| 34 | Andre Harris | F | 6–6 | Jr. | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| 35 | Jeff Oliphant | G | 6–5 | RS Fr. | Lyons, Indiana |
| 42 | Kreigh Smith | G/F | 6–7 | RS So. | Tipton, Indiana |
| 44 | Joe Hillman | G | 6–2 | RS So. | Glendale, California |
| 45 | Brian Sloan | F/C | 6–8 | RS So. | McLeansboro, Illinois |
| 52 | Courtney Witte | F/C | 6–8 | Sr. | Vincennes, Indiana |

## Schedule/Results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| 11/30/1985* | | Kent State | W 89–73 | 1–0 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 12/3/1985* | No. 19 | No. 11 Notre Dame | W 82–67 | 2–0 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 12/7/1985* | No. 19 | at No. 9 Kentucky Indiana–Kentucky rivalry | L 58–63 | 2–1 | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| 12/10/1985* | No. 18 | Kansas State | W 78–71 | 3–1 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 12/13/1985* | No. 18 | Louisiana Tech Indiana Classic | W 84–63 | 4–1 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 12/14/1985* | No. 18 | Texas Tech Indiana Classic | W 74–59 | 5–1 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 12/18/1985* | No. 17 | at No. 16 Louisville | L 63–65 | 5–2 | Freedom Hall Louisville, KY |
| 12/21/1985* | No. 17 | Iowa State | W 86–65 | 6–2 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 12/27/1985* | No. 17 | vs. Idaho Hoosier Classic | W 87–57 | 7–2 | Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN |
| 12/28/1985* | No. 17 | vs. Mississippi State Hoosier Classic | W 74–73 | 8–2 | Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN |
| 1/2/1986 | No. 15 | No. 2 Michigan | L 69–74 | 8–3 (0–1) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 1/5/1986 | No. 15 | Michigan State | L 74–77 | 8–4 (0–2) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 1/9/1986 | | at Northwestern | W 102–65 | 9–4 (1–2) | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL |
| 1/11/1986 | | at Wisconsin | W 80–69 | 10–4 (2–2) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| 1/15/1986 | | Ohio State | W 69–66 | 11–4 (3–2) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 1/23/1986 | | No. 15 Purdue Rivalry | W 71–70 | 12–4 (4–2) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 1/25/1986 | | Illinois Rivalry | W 71–69 | 13–4 (5–2) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 1/30/1986 | No. 15 | at Iowa | L 69–79 | 13–5 (5–3) | Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA |
| 2/1/1986 | No. 15 | at Minnesota | W 62–54 | 14–5 (6–3) | Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN |
| 2/6/1986 | No. 18 | Wisconsin | W 78–69 | 15–5 (7–3) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 2/8/1986 | No. 18 | Northwestern | W 77–52 | 16–5 (8–3) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 2/16/1986 | No. 16 | at Ohio State | W 84–75 | 17–5 (9–3) | St. John Arena Columbus, OH |
| 2/20/1986 | No. 15 | at Illinois Rivalry | W 61–60 | 18–5 (10–3) | Assembly Hall Champaign, IL |
| 2/23/1986 | No. 15 | at Purdue Rivalry | L 68–85 | 18–6 (10–4) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN |
| 2/27/1986 | No. 16 | Minnesota | W 95–63 | 19–6 (11–4) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 3/2/1986 | No. 16 | Iowa | W 80–73 | 20–6 (12–4) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
| 3/5/1986 Lorimar | No. 16 | at No. 17 Michigan State | W 97–79 | 21–6 (13–4) | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, MI |
| 3/8/1986 CBS | No. 16 | at No. 7 Michigan | L 52–80 | 21–7 (13–5) | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, MI |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| 3/13/1986* NCAA/ESPN | (3 E) No. 16 | vs. (14 E) Cleveland State First Round | L 79–83 | 21–8 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||