# 1984–85 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1984–85 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference. The team is famous for one of the biggest upsets in sports history – a 66–64 win over #1 Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament final on April 1, 1985. They remain the lowest-seeded team in history to win the NCAA Tournament.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| November 24* 7:30 pm | | at Vermont | W 80–56 | 1–0 | Patrick Gym Burlington, Vermont |
| November 28* 8 pm | | at Marist | W 56–51 | 2–0 | McCann Field House Poughkeepsie, New York |
| December 1* 2:30 pm, PRISM | | vs. Temple Big 5 | W 68–65 | 3–0 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| December 7* 9 pm | | Monmouth | W 77–62 | 4–0 | Villanova Field House Villanova, Pennsylvania |
| December 15 7 pm | | at Penn Big 5 | W 80–67 | 5–0 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| December 22* 2:30 pm, PRISM | | at La Salle Big 5 | W 80–63 | 6–0 | The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| December 28* 9:30 pm | | vs. BYU Cotton State-Kiwanis Classic Semifinal | W 91–61 | 7-0 | The Omni Atlanta, Georgia |
| December 29* 9:30 pm | | vs. Georgia Cotton State-Kiwanis Classic Championship | L 68–75 | 7–1 | The Omni Atlanta, Georgia |
| Big East Conference Regular Season ||||||
| January 2 8 pm, USA | | No. 5 Syracuse | W 82–70 | 8–1 (1–0) | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| January 5 8 pm | | Connecticut | W 70–59 | 9–1 (2–0) | Villanova Field House Villanova, Pennsylvania |
| January 7 8 pm, ESPN TCS Metrosports | | at No. 4 St. John's | L 71–76 | 9–2 (2–1) | Madison Square Garden New York City, New York |
| January 12 2:30 pm, NBC | No. 16 | No. 1 Georgetown | L 50–52 | 9–3 (2–2) | The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| January 15 8 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | Boston College | W 85–66 | 10–3 (3–2) | Villanova Field House Villanova, Pennsylvania |
| January 19 3 pm | No. 18 | at Seton Hall | W 86–74 | 11–3 (4–2) | Meadowlands Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| January 21* 9:30 pm | No. 18 | at Drexel City 6 | W 63–55 | 12–3 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Big East Conference Regular Season ||||||
| January 23 8 pm | No. 14 | Providence | W 65–57 | 13–3 (5–2) | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| January 27* 12:30 pm, NBC | No. 14 | at Maryland | L 74–77 | 13–4 | Cole Field House College Park, Maryland |
| Big East Conference Regular Season ||||||
| January 29 7 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | Pittsburgh | W 70–63 | 14–4 (6–2) | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 1 8 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | at No. 9 Syracuse | L 79–92 | 14–5 (6–3) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York |
| February 5 8 pm | No. 19 | at Connecticut | W 79–71 | 15–5 (7–3) | Hugh S. Greer Field House Storrs, Connecticut |
| February 9 2 pm, CBS | No. 19 | No. 1 St. John's | L 68–70 | 15–6 (7–4) | The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 11 8 pm, ESPN | No. 19 | at No. 2 Georgetown | L 50–57 | 15–7 (7–5) | Capital Centre Landover, Maryland |
| February 16 12 pm, TCS MetroSports | No. 16 | at Boston College | L 61–62 | 15–8 (7–6) | Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| February 19* 9 pm | | vs. St. Joseph's Big 5 | W 47–44 | 16–8 | The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Big East Conference Regular Season ||||||
| February 23 8 pm | | at Providence | W 88–82 | 17–8 (8–6) | Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| February 27 8 pm | | Seton Hall | W 80–75 | 18–8 (9–6) | Villanova Field House Villanova, Pennsylvania |
| March 2 2 pm, CBS | | at Pittsburgh | L 62–85 | 18–9 (9–7) | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| March 7* 9:30 pm, TCS MetroSports | (4) | vs. (5) Pittsburgh Big East tournament quarterfinal | W 69–61 | 19–9 | Madison Square Garden New York City, New York |
| March 8* 9:30 pm, TCS MetroSports | (4) | vs. (1) No. 2 St. John's Big East tournament semifinal | L 74–89 | 19–10 | Madison Square Garden New York City, New York |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| March 15* 9:37 pm, ESPN NCAA Productions | (8 SE) | vs. (9 SE) Dayton NCAA Southeast first round | W 51–49 | 20–10 | University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio |
| March 17* 12:20 pm, CBS | (8 SE) | vs. (1 SE) No. 2 Michigan NCAA Southeast Second Round | W 59–55 | 21–10 | University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio |
| March 22* 8:07 pm, ESPN NCAA Productions | (8 SE) | vs. (5 SE) Maryland NCAA Southeast Regional semifinal | W 46–43 | 22–10 | BJCC Coliseum Birmingham, Alabama |
| March 24* 1:58 pm, CBS | (8 SE) | vs. (2 SE) No. 7 North Carolina NCAA Southeast Regional Final | W 56–44 | 23–10 | BJCC Coliseum Birmingham, Alabama |
| March 30* 3:42 pm, CBS | (8 SE) | vs. (2 MW) No. 5 Memphis State NCAA National semifinal | W 52–45 | 24–10 | Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky |
| April 1* 9:12 pm, CBS | (8 SE) | vs. (1 E) No. 1 Georgetown NCAA national championship | W 66–64 | 25–10 | Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Ed Pinckney, Final Four Most Outstanding Player
* Ed Pinckney, Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year
* Ed Pinckney, 1st Team All-Big East
* Ed Pinckney, Big East All-Tournament Team
* Dwayne McClain, 3rd Team All-Big East
* Dwayne McClain, All-Big 5
* Dwayne McClain, Final Four All-Tournament Team
* Gary McLain, Final Four All-Tournament Team
* Harold Jensen, Final Four All-Tournament Team

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1985 | 1 | 10 | Ed Pinckney | Phoenix Suns |
| 1985 | 2 | 27 | Dwayne McClain | Indiana Pacers |
| 1985 | 7 | 144 | Gary McLain | New Jersey Nets |
| 1986 | 1 | 17 | Harold Pressley | Sacramento Kings |
| 1986 | 6 | 130 | Chuck Everson | Utah Jazz |
| 1987 | 6 | 122 | Harold Jensen | Cleveland Cavaliers |

## Legacy

In 2013, author Frank Fitzpatrick released his book The Perfect Game: How Villanova’s Shocking 1985 Upset of Mighty Georgetown Changed the Landscape of College Hoops Forever focusing on the team's victorious season.