1986 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1986 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament (now known as the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament) was held March 6–8 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Top-seeded UNLV defended their title and defeated in the final, 75–55, and captured their third PCAA/Big West championship (and third in four seasons). The Runnin' Rebels, in turn, received a bid to the 1986 NCAA Tournament, their seventh in program history, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Format. The tournament field remained the same as 1985, with eight  total teams. Again, only the top eight teams, out of ten, from the regular season standings qualified for the tournament. All eight participating teams were placed into the first round, with teams seeded and paired based on regular-season records. After the first round, teams were re-seeded so the highest-remaining team was paired with the lowest-remaining time in one semifinal with the other two teams slotted into the other semifinal.