1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1985–86 Villanova Wildcats Basketball Big East Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013) Big East 23–14 10–6 Rollie Massimino 13th John Eleuthère du Pont Pavilion (Capacity: 6,500) NCAA tournament Round of 32 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. Roster 1985 Villanova Wildcats y Kenny Wilson 3 G 5 9 Fr Dwight Wilbur 4 G 6 2 185 Sr Paterson, New Jersey Veltra Dawson 10 G 6 1 175 So Highland Park, Illinois Roland Massimino 13 G 5 10 165 Sr Villanova, Pennsylvania Pat Enright G 5 10 Fr Harold Pressley y 21 F 6 7 210 Sr Mystic, Connecticut Gary Massey 22 G 6 6 Fr Mark Plansky y 31 F 6 7 So Harold Jensen y 32 G 6 5 195 Jr Trumbull, Connecticut Chuck Everson 41 C 7 1 255 Sr Brentwood, New York Doug West y 42 G 6 6 200 Fr Wyatt Maker 43 C 6 11 245 Jr Salinas, California Connally Brown 50 F 6 7 205 Jr Orange, Texas Rollie Massimino (Vermont) Schedule and results |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats| Non-conference regular season Nov 22, 1985 yes Drexel The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 66–51 1–0 Nov 24, 1985 yes 1985 men Vermont Catamounts Vermont The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 101–61 2–0 Nov 26, 1985 yes yes 1985 men Lamar Cardinals Lamar Montagne Center Beaumont, Texas 59–78 2–1 Nov 29, 1985 yes yes UNLV 16 Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska Great Alaska Shootout 49–61 2–2 Nov 30, 1985 yes yes 1985 men UTSA Roadrunners UTSA Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska Great Alaska Shootout 67–56 3–2 Dec 1, 1985 yes yes 1985 men Alaska-Anchorage Alaska-Anchorage Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska Great Alaska Shootout 71–52 4–2 Dec 4, 1985 yes yes 1985 men La Salle Explorers La Salle The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 50–46 5–2 Dec 7, 1985 yes 1985 men Wagner Seahawks Wagner The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 85–62 6–2 Dec 14, 1985 yes yes Temple The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 73–81 6–3 Dec 21, 1985 yes yes Saint Joseph's The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 61–63 6–4 Dec 27, 1985 yes yes Missouri Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii Rainbow Classic 53–72 6–5 Dec 28, 1985 yes yes Bradley Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii Rainbow Classic 56–58 OT 6–6 Dec 29, 1985 yes yes 1985 men Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Hawaii Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii Rainbow Classic 76–61 7–6 |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats| Big East Regular Season Jan 2, 1986 yes 1985 men Seton Hall Pirates Seton Hall Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey 62–56 8–6 1–0 Jan 4, 1986 yes Marist The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 87–71 9–6 Jan 6, 1986 Syracuse 4 The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 72–77 9–7 1–1 Jan 11, 1986 yes 1985 men Providence Friars Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, Rhode Island 78–77 2OT 10–7 2–1 Jan 13, 1986 yes Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Storrs, Connecticut 68–59 11–7 3–1 Jan 18, 1986 Pittsburgh The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 74–70 12–7 4–1 Jan 20, 1986 yes Georgetown 12 Capital Centre Landover, Maryland 72–76 12–8 4–2 Jan 25, 1986 Providence The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 80–68 13–8 5–2 Jan 27, 1986 yes yes 1985 men Penn Quakers Penn The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 68–64 14–8 Jan 29, 1986 yes St. John's 7 Madison Square Garden New York, New York 61–81 14–9 5–3 Feb 4, 1986 yes 1985 men Boston College Eagles Boston College Roberts Center Boston, Massachusetts 67–57 15–9 6–3 Feb 6, 1986 yes Maryland The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 64–62 16–9 Feb 7, 1986 yes Pittsburgh Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 71–85 16–10 6–4 Feb 9, 1986 Connecticut The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 59–53 17–10 7–4 Feb 12, 1986 yes Syracuse 12 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 57–80 17–11 7–5 Feb 15, 1986 Georgetown 9 The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 90–88 2OT 18–11 8–5 Feb 18, 1986 St. John's 6 The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 76–79 18–12 8–6 Feb 22, 1986 Seton Hall The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 78–65 19–12 9–6 Feb 25, 1986 yes 1985 men Monmouth Hawks Monmouth The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 85–52 20–12 Mar 1, 1986 Boston College The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 74–63 21–12 10–6 |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats| Big East tournament Mar 5, 1986 yes yes Providence Madison Square Garden New York, New York Quarterfinals 75–63 22–12 Mar 7, 1986 yes yes St. John's 5 Madison Square Garden New York, New York Semifinals 64–75 22–13 |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats| NCAA tournament Mar 13, 1986 yes yes 10 SE Virginia Tech 7 SE LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana First Round 71–62Villanova Tops Virginia Tech https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/14/sports/southeast-regional-villanova-tops-virginia-tech.html The New York Times March 14, 1986 April 9, 2022 23–13 Mar 15, 1986 yes yes 10 SE Georgia Tech 6 2 SE LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana Second Round 61–66LSU Beats Memphis State With Basket at the Buzzer https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-16-sp-26667-story.html The Los Angeles Times March 16, 1986 April 9, 2022 23–14 SE Southeast 1985-86 Villanova Wildcats Schedule and Results https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/villanova/1986-schedule.html Sports Reference April 9, 2022 Players in the 1986 NBA draft 1986 NBA draft Villanova Wildcats Round Pick Player NBA club 1 17 Harold Pressley Sacramento Kings https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1986.html 1986 NBA Draft Basketball-reference.com April 9, 2022 References Category:Villanova Wildcats men's basketball seasons Villanova Villanova Villanova Villanova