# 1985–86 Memphis State Tigers men's basketball team

The 1985–86 Memphis State Tigers men's basketball team represented Memphis State University as a member of the Metro Conference during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.
Memphis State opened the season with 20 consecutive wins and peaked at No. 2 in the AP poll on January 27, 1986. The team went on to finish second in the conference regular season standings and lost in the championship game of the conference tournament (eventual National champion Louisville won both titles). After reaching the Sweet 16 each of the previous four seasons including a Final Four appearance the year prior, the Tigers fell in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament and finished with a 28–6 record (9–3 Metro).

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 29, 1985* | | Tennessee State Mid-South Classic | W 107–61 | 1–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Nov 30, 1985* | | Middle Tennessee Mid-South Classic | W 73–63 | 2–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Dec 3, 1985* | | Kent State | W 83–69 | 3–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Dec 6, 1985* | | at Hawaii–Hilo Pearl Harbor Classic | W 95–52 | 4–0 | |
| Dec 7, 1985* | | vs. Fresno State Pearl Harbor Classic | W 80–46 | 5–0 | |
| Dec 9, 1985* | | at Texas Tech | W 80–55 | 6–0 | |
| Dec 14, 1985* | | South Carolina State | W 119–73 | 7–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Dec 17, 1985* | | Ole Miss | W 73–56 | 8–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Dec 23, 1985* | | Murray State | W 82–59 | 9–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Dec 27, 1985* | | vs. Fresno State Holiday Bowl Classic | W 57–46 | 10–0 | |
| Dec 28, 1985* | | vs. Charlotte Holiday Bowl Classic | W 106–82 | 10–0 | |
| Jan 4, 1986* | No. 9 | No. 5 Kansas | W 83–80 | 11–0 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Jan 6, 1986 | No. 6 | South Carolina | W 89–81 | 12–0 (1–0) | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Jan 9, 1986 | No. 6 | No. 17 Louisville | W 73–71 | 13–0 (2–0) | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Feb 3, 1986 | No. 3 | Cincinnati | W 74–55 | 20–0 (6–0) | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee |
| Feb 7, 1986* | No. 3 | at No. 9 UNLV | L 66–67 | 20–1 | Thomas & Mack Center Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Mar 1, 1986 | No. 7 | at No. 13 Louisville | L 69–70 | 25–4 (9–3) | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| Metro Conference Tournament ||||||
| Mar 6, 1986* | No. 10 | vs. South Carolina Quarterfinals | W 100–59 | 26–4 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| Mar 7, 1986* | No. 10 | vs. Florida State Semifinals | W 73–71 | 27–4 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| Mar 8, 1986* | No. 10 | at No. 11 Louisville Championship game | L 79–88 | 27–5 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1986* | (3 SE) No. 12 | vs. (14 SE) Ball State Second round | W 95–63 | 28–5 | LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Mar 15, 1986* | (3 SE) No. 12 | vs. (11 SE) LSU Second round | L 81–83 | 28–6 | LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast region. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||