1985–86 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1985–86 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg Big East Conference Big East 15 13 24–8 11–5 John Thompson 14th Craig Esherick 4th Mike Riley 4th Ralph Dalton Michael Jackson Capital Centre NCAA tournament second round The 1985–86 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1985–86 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his 14th season as head coach. They played their home games at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 24–8, 11–5 in Big East play. They advanced to the 1986 Big East men's basketball tournament semifinals before losing to Syracuse and to the second round of the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament before losing to Michigan State. They were ranked No. 13 in the seasons final Associated Press Poll and No. 15 in the final Coaches' Poll. Season recap By the mid-1980s, slow-down games in which weaker teams attempted to control the ball for long stretches without shooting as a way of evening their odds against larger and faster teams had become common enough in mens college basketball to prompt the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to adopt a shot clock in men basketball this season to force a return to quicker and higher-scoring play. Initially a 45-second clock, it would be reduced to 35 seconds in the 1993–94 season.Official 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book, p. 278. The new shot clock was not the only major change that the 1985–86 Hoyas faced: They also played the first season of the post-Patrick Ewing era at Georgetown, and the graduation of the dominant center – as well as of forward Bill Martin – in May 1985 required adjustments by a team that had become accustomed to Ewings stellar offensive and defensive performances. Junior forward Reggie Williams and senior forward David Wingate were the teams top scoring threats, combining to lead the Hoyas in scoring in 28 of the seasons 32 games. Williams scored in double figures in 31 games, including 30 points against 18th-ranked DePaul, 25 points against 10th-ranked St. John's, 22 points and 14 rebounds in Georgetowns first meeting with Villanova, and 26 points and 12 rebounds in the second game against Villanova. He shot 53% from the field and led his team with 17.6 points per game.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/r_williams.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 3. Reggie Williams 2014-03-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003232/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/r_williams.htm 2016-03-04 dead Wingate, who had played much of his first two seasons at guard but moved to small forward this year, played nearly 1,000 minutes without ever fouling out, and tied his career high with 26 points against Pittsburgh in the last home game of his Georgetown career. He finished the year second to Williams in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_wingate.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 11. David Wingate 2014-03-13 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329170847/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_wingate.htm dead Senior guard Horace Broadnax had seen limited playing time as a reserve and scored in double figures in a combined 18 games during the previous three seasons, but Wingates move to forward this season allowed him to become a starter for the first time. As such, he had his best season as a Hoya, with 13 points in 17 minutes against Providence, 16 points against seventh-ranked Louisiana State, 15 points against Connecticut, and 17 points against Boston College. Although he averaged only 20 minutes per game, he was fourth in both scoring and assists for the season, and averaged 7.5 points per game.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/h_broadnax.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 87. Horace Broadnax 2014-03-13 2015-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20150201190925/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/h_broadnax.htm dead Senior guard and team co-captain Michael Jackson provided leadership to the team all season. During the final ten games of the regular season, he averaged 11 points and 6.4 assists a game and shot a perfect 30-for-30 from the free-throw line as Georgetown won seven of the games and lost the other three by a combined total of only five points. Overall, he shot 50% from the field and 81% from the free-throw line during the season and had 200 assists. He finished his collegiate career as the leader in Georgetown history in assists, with 671.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_jackson.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 14. Michael Jackson 2014-03-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20120213071619/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_jackson.htm 2012-02-13 dead Freshman guard Charles Smith joined the team this season. He had a season-high 11 points against Seton Hall, but saw limited playing time, averaging eight minutes and 3.0 points per game. He would emerge late the following season as one of Georgetowns top players.The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 12. Charles Smith Freshman forward Jaren Jackson was another newcomer. Limited to reserve duty, he came off the bench to lead the team in scoring in three games, but scored half his 102 points for the season in those three games, averaging only 3.2 points per game for the year. His breakout season would come in his junior year. Sophomore guard Perry McDonald was hobbled by a back injury all season and averaged only 3.4 points per game. Like Smith, he would begin to make his mark as one of the Hoya greats the following year.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_mcdonald.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 30. Perry McDonald 2014-03-13 2014-08-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20140807023144/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_mcdonald.htm dead The Hoyas record earned them a bye in the first round of the 1986 Big East men's basketball tournament. In the quarterfinals, they squeaked past Pittsburgh with a one-point win in which Wingates defense was key to pulling out the victory. They thus advanced to the tournament semifinals, where they lost to Syracuse. Georgetown was the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region of the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament – the eighth of 14 consecutive Georgetown NCAA tournament appearances – and defeated Texas Tech in the first round to advance to the second round, in which the Hoyas met the Midwest Regions No. 5 seed, Michigan State. Although he had nine of Georgetowns 17 assists, Michael Jackson shot only 1-for-7 (14.3%) from the field while Michigan State senior guard Scott Skiles scored 24 points to lead the Spartans to an 80–68 upset win and bring the Hoyas season to an end. David Wingate graduated in May 1986 as the third-highest scorer in Georgetown history, having been the runner-up in scoring in each of his four seasons on the team. During his four years, Georgetown had posted a record of 115–24 (.827), and during the final three years of his collegiate career the Hoyas had lost a combined total of only four home games. The 1985-86 Hoyas were ranked No. 13 in the seasons final Associated Press Poll and No. 15 in the final Coaches' Poll. Roster Sourcehttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-80s.htm#1986 The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1980-81 to 1989-1990 2013-12-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20150330045658/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-80s.htm#1986 2015-03-30 dead The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious Team(s)4Bobby Winston6'5"N/AG/FFr.Washington, DC, U.S.All Saints HS10Perry McDonald6'4"190F/GSo.New Orleans, LA, U.S.George Washington Carver Senior HS13Charles Smith6'0"160GFr.Washington, DC, U.S.All Saints HS21Jaren Jackson6'2"190FFr.New Orleans, LA, U.S.Walter L. Cohen HS30Michael Jackson6'2"175GSr.Reston, VA, U.S.South Lakes HS32Horace Broadnax6'0"190GSr.Plant City, FL, U.S.Plant City HS34Reggie Williams6'7"190FJr.Baltimore, MD, U.S.Paul Laurence Dunbar HS40David Wingate6'5"185FSr.Baltimore, MD, U.S.Paul Laurence Dunbar HS42Johnathan Edwards6'9"240FFr.New Orleans, LA, U.S.O. Perry Walker HS44Ronnie Highsmith6'8"N/AFSo.Robersonville, NC, U.S.United States Army51Grady Mateen6'11"N/ACSo.Akron, OH, U.S.Central-Hower HS52Ralph Dalton6'9"N/ACGrad. Stud.Suitland, MD, U.S.Fishburne Military School (Va.)55Victor Morris6'9"N/AFJr.Houston, TX, U.S.Kashmere HS Rankings 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings Source1985-86 Big East Conference Season Summarysports-reference.com 1985-86 Polls + Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Final AP 8 8 6 5 5 5 11 13 15 12 12 11 9 13 15 14 13 Coaches 8 –No Coaches' Poll this week. 7 7 6 7 11 15 16 12 12 11 11 13 15 15 15 1985–86 Schedule and results Sourceshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1980s Seasons December 2, 2013 February 12, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170212070905/http://hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents 2013-12-02 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead 2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 64.Official Basketball Box Score Syracuse vs Georgetown 1/15/86 at Capital Centre, Washington, D.C.Official Basketball Box Score Georgetown vs Syracuse 2/23/86 at Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NYOfficial Basketball Box Score Georgetown vs Syracuse 3/7/86 at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY All times are Eastern yes |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular Season Sat., Nov. 23, 1985 yes yes 8 Hawaii Loa Kailua Gymnasium Kailua, HI 100–51 1–0 823 Wed., Nov. 27, 1985 yes yes 8 Hawaii-Hilo Civic Auditorium Hilo, HI 91–57 2–0 2,900 Tue., Dec. 3, 1985 yes yes 6 George Mason Patriot Center Fairfax, VA 75–63 3–0 8,188 Fri., Dec. 6, 1985 yes yes 6 Grambling State Civic Center Monroe, LA 77–30 4–0 3,294 Wed., Dec. 11, 1985 yes 5 New Mexico Capital Centre Landover, MD 76–51 5–0 5,616 Sat., Dec. 14, 1985 yes 5 Florida A&M Capital Centre Landover, MD 86–56 6–0 5,331 Wed., Dec. 18, 1985 yes 5 American Capital Centre Landover, MD 83–59 7–0 5,179 Sat., Dec. 21, 1985 yes yes 5 DePaul 18 Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, IL 85–70 8–0 N/A Mon., Dec. 23, 1985 yes 5 Seattle Capital Centre Landover, MD 96–57 9–0 5,023 Fri., Dec. 27, 1985 yes yes 5 Texas-El Paso Special Events Center El Paso, TX 64–78 9–1 12,222 Thu., Jan. 2, 1986 yes 11 Pittsburgh Civic Arena Pittsburgh, PA 76–80 9–2 0–1 16,046 Sat., Jan. 4, 1986 11 Providence Capital Centre Landover, MD 110–79 10–2 1–1 6,869 Wed., Jan. 8, 1986 13 Connecticut Capital Centre Landover, MD Rivalry 70–66 11–2 2–1 6,171 Sat., Jan. 11, 1986 yes 13 St. John's 10 Madison Square Garden New York, NY 74–79 11–3 2–2 19,591 Wed., Jan. 15, 1986 15 Syracuse 4 Capital Centre Landover, MD Rivalry 73–70 12–3 3–2 18,164 Sat., Jan. 18, 1986 yes 15 Seton Hall Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, NJ 82–72 13–3 4–2 6,712 Mon., Jan 20, 1986 15 Villanova Capital Centre Landover, MD 76–72 14–3 5–2 11,541 Sat., Jan. 25, 1986 yes 12 Boston College Boston Garden Boston, MA 73–66 15–3 6–2 14,218 Mon., Jan. 27, 1986 yes 12 Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, RI 69–54 16–3 7–2 10,561 Sun., Feb. 2, 1986 yes 12 Louisiana State 17 Capital Centre Landover, MD 74–72 OT 17–3 11,367 Wed., Feb. 5, 1986 yes 11 Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Hartford, CT Rivalry 80–63 18–3 8–2 13,838 Sat., Feb. 8, 1986 11 Seton Hall Capital Centre Landover, MD 81–54 19–3 9–2 6,276 Mon., Feb. 10, 1986 11 St. John's 10 Capital Centre Landover, MD 58–60 19–4 9–3 16,093 Fri., Feb. 15, 1986 yes 9 Villanova Spectrum Philadelphia, PA 88–90 2OT 19–5 9–4 17,764 Tue., Feb 18, 1986 yes yes 13 Morgan State Baltimore Arena Baltimore, MD 81–53 20–5 6,023 Sun., Feb. 23, 1986 yes 13 Syracuse 9 Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Rivalry 63–64 20–6 9–5 32,475 Wed., Feb. 26, 1986 15 Boston College Capital Centre Landover, MD 90–76 21–6 10–5 8,693 Tue., Mar. 4, 1986 14 Pittsburgh Capital Centre Landover, MD 93–62 22–6 11–5 10,742 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Big East tournament Thu., Mar. 6, 1986 yes 14 3 Pittsburgh 6 Madison Square Garden New York, NY Quarterfinals 57–56 23–6 19,591 Fri., Mar. 7, 1986 yes 14 3 Syracuse 8 2 Madison Square Garden New York, NY Semifinals/Rivalry 73–75 OT 23–7 19,591 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA Tournament Wed., Mar. 12, 1986 yes 13 4 MW Texas Tech 13 MW University of Dayton Arena Dayton, OH First round 70–64 24–7 11,260 Fri., Mar. 14, 1986 yes 13 4 MW Michigan State 18 5 MW University of Dayton Arena Dayton, OH Second round 68–80 24–8 11,260 Notes note References Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team