# 1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 1985–86 season. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at The Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference.

## Previous season

Villanova finished the regular season tied for third place in the Big East standings. In the conference tournament, the Wildcats defeated Pittsburgh in the quarterfinal round before losing to St. John's in the semifinals. The team was awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 8 seed in the Southeast region. After escaping the opening round with a 2-point win over Dayton, Villanova knocked off No. 1 seed Michigan, No. 5 seed Maryland, and No. 2 seed North Carolina to reach the Final Four. They shut down Memphis State in the National Semifinals, while Georgetown handled St. John's in the other National semifinal. The Wildcats played a near perfect game to defeat the Hoyas in the championship game, 66–64. As of the 2021–22 season, Villanova is the only No. 8 seed to win the National championship.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 22, 1985* | | Drexel | W 66–51 | 1–0 | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nov 24, 1985* | | Vermont | W 101–61 | 2–0 | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nov 26, 1985* | | at Lamar | L 59–78 | 2–1 | Montagne Center Beaumont, Texas |
| Nov 29, 1985* | | vs. No. 16 UNLV Great Alaska Shootout | L 49–61 | 2–2 | Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska |
| Nov 30, 1985* | | vs. UTSA Great Alaska Shootout | W 67–56 | 3–2 | Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 1, 1985* | | at Alaska-Anchorage Great Alaska Shootout | W 71–52 | 4–2 | Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 4, 1985* | | at La Salle | W 50–46 | 5–2 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Dec 7, 1985* | | Wagner | W 85–62 | 6–2 | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Dec 14, 1985* | | vs. Temple | L 73–81 | 6–3 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Dec 21, 1985* | | vs. Saint Joseph's | L 61–63 | 6–4 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Dec 27, 1985* | | vs. Missouri Rainbow Classic | L 53–72 | 6–5 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 28, 1985* | | vs. Bradley Rainbow Classic | L 56–58 $^{OT}$ | 6–6 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 29, 1985* | | at Hawaii Rainbow Classic | W 76–61 | 7–6 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Big East Regular Season ||||||
| Jan 2, 1986 | | at Seton Hall | W 62–56 | 8–6 (1–0) | Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Jan 4, 1986* | | Marist | W 87–71 | 9–6 | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 6, 1986 | | No. 4 Syracuse | L 72–77 | 9–7 (1–1) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 11, 1986 | | at Providence | W 78–77 $^{2OT}$ | 10–7 (2–1) | Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| Jan 13, 1986 | | at Connecticut | W 68–59 | 11–7 (3–1) | Hartford Civic Center Storrs, Connecticut |
| Jan 18, 1986 | | Pittsburgh | W 74–70 | 12–7 (4–1) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 20, 1986 | | at No. 12 Georgetown | L 72–76 | 12–8 (4–2) | Capital Centre Landover, Maryland |
| Jan 25, 1986 | | Providence | W 80–68 | 13–8 (5–2) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 27, 1986* | | at Penn | W 68–64 | 14–8 | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 29, 1986 | | at No. 7 St. John's | L 61–81 | 14–9 (5–3) | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| Feb 4, 1986 | | at Boston College | W 67–57 | 15–9 (6–3) | Roberts Center Boston, Massachusetts |
| Feb 6, 1986* | | Maryland | W 64–62 | 16–9 | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 7, 1986 | | at Pittsburgh | L 71–85 | 16–10 (6–4) | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 9, 1986 | | Connecticut | W 59–53 | 17–10 (7–4) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 12, 1986 | | at No. 12 Syracuse | L 57–80 | 17–11 (7–5) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York |
| Feb 15, 1986 | | No. 9 Georgetown | W 90–88 $^{2OT}$ | 18–11 (8–5) | The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 18, 1986 | | No. 6 St. John's | L 76–79 | 18–12 (8–6) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 22, 1986 | | Seton Hall | W 78–65 | 19–12 (9–6) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 25, 1986* | | Monmouth | W 85–52 | 20–12 | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Mar 1, 1986 | | Boston College | W 74–63 | 21–12 (10–6) | The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| Mar 5, 1986* | | vs. Providence Quarterfinals | W 75–63 | 22–12 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| Mar 7, 1986* | | at No. 5 St. John's Semifinals | L 64–75 | 22–13 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1986* | (10 SE) | vs. (7 SE) Virginia Tech First Round | W 71–62 | 23–13 | LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Mar 15, 1986* | (10 SE) | vs. (2 SE) No. 6 Georgia Tech Second Round | L 61–66 | 23–14 | LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. ||||||

## Players in the 1986 NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 17 | Harold Pressley | Sacramento Kings |