# 1986–87 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team

The 1986–87 Fairfield Stags men's basketball team represented Fairfield University in the 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Stags, led by second year head coach Mitch Buonaguro, played their home games at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Connecticut as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They finished the season 15–16, 5–9 in MAAC play to 7th during the conference regular season. The Stags elevated their play to win the MAAC tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 16 seed in the Midwest region. Making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Stags were beaten by No. 1 seed and eventual National champion Indiana, 92–58, in the opening round.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 29, 1986* | | Stonehill | W 62–60 | 1–0 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Dec 2, 1986* | | Hartford | L 50–52 | 1–1 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Dec 6, 1986* | | vs. Boston College | L 62–66 | 1–2 | |
| Dec 8, 1986* | | Siena | W 58–57 | 2–2 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Dec 10, 1986* | | at Marist | W 60–54 $^{OT}$ | 3–2 | McCann Recreation Center (2,100) Poughkeepsie, New York |
| Dec 20, 1986* | | at No. 9 Syracuse | L 74–93 | 3–3 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York |
| Dec 23, 1986* | | at Connecticut | L 51–54 | 3–4 | Hartford Civic Center Storrs, Connecticut |
| Dec 30, 1986* | | New Hampshire | W 63–60 | 4–4 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 3, 1987* | | at Hofstra | L 65–66 | 4–5 | Hofstra Physical Fitness Center Hempstead, New York |
| Jan 6, 1987* | | vs. Richmond | L 87–91 $^{3OT}$ | 4–6 | |
| Jan 7, 1987 | | La Salle | W 63–60 | 5–6 (1–0) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 8, 1987* | | Lehigh | W 64–63 | 6–6 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 10, 1987 | | Fordham | L 70–74 | 6–7 (1–1) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 13, 1987 | | Saint Peter's | L 57–72 | 6–8 (1–2) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 21, 1987 | | Manhattan | L 78–80 $^{OT}$ | 6–9 (1–3) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 24, 1987 | | Iona | L 64–68 | 6–10 (1–4) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 27, 1987* | | Yale | W 86–81 $^{OT}$ | 7–10 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 31, 1987 | | at Army | W 74–63 | 8–10 (2–4) | Christl Arena West Point, New York |
| Feb 3, 1987 | | at Holy Cross | W 66–54 | 9–10 (3–4) | Hart Center Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Feb 5, 1987* | | Central Connecticut State | W 73–58 | 10–10 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Feb 7, 1987 | | at Fordham | L 70–74 | 10–11 (3–5) | Rose Hill Gymnasium Bronx, New York |
| Feb 11, 1987 | | at Manhattan | W 79–67 | 11–11 (4–5) | Draddy Gymnasium Bronx, New York |
| Feb 13, 1987 | | at La Salle | L 54–58 | 11–12 (4–6) | Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 16, 1987 | | vs. Saint Peter's | L 52–57 | 11–13 (4–7) | Yanitelli Center Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Feb 18, 1987 | | Army | L 48–54 | 11–14 (4–8) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Feb 21, 1987 | | at Iona | L 83–85 $^{OT}$ | 11–15 (4–9) | Hynes Athletics Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 26, 1987 | | Holy Cross | W 56–55 | 12–15 (5–9) | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| MAAC Tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1987* | | vs. La Salle Quarterfinals | W 75–62 | 13–15 | Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Mar 1, 1987* | | vs. Army Semifinals | W 65–60 | 14–15 | Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Mar 2, 1987* | | vs. Iona Championship game | W 73–70 $^{OT}$ | 15–15 | Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 12, 1987* | (16 MW) | vs. (1 MW) No. 3 Indiana First Round | L 58–92 | 15–16 | RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
Source