1986–87 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 January 2022 basketball 1986–87 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo.svg 150 Independent 18 18 24–8 Digger Phelps 16th Joyce Center NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen The 1986–87 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1986-87 college basketball season. The Irish were led by head coach Digger Phelps, in his 16th season, and played their home games at the Joyce Center in Notre Dame, Indiana. Notre Dame earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they reached the Sweet Sixteen. The team finished with a 24–8 record and a No. 18 rankings in both major polls. Roster 1986 Notre Dame Fighting Irish y David Rivers 4 G 6 2 170 Jr y Jersey City, New Jersey Donald Royal 15 F 6 8 205 Sr y New Orleans, Louisiana Digger Phelps (Rider) Schedule and results no yes no no no |- !colspan=9 style=Notre Dame Fighting Irish| Regular season Nov 21, 1986 yes Western Kentucky Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana Preseason NIT 63–80 0–1 Dec 2, 1986 yes Indiana 3 Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 62–67 0–2 Dec 4, 1986 yes 1986 men Cornell Big Red Cornell Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 60–56 1–2 Dec 6, 1986 yes Brigham Young Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 62–46 2–2 Dec 11, 1986 yes 1986 men Eastern Michigan Hurons Eastern Michigan Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 81–76 3–2 Dec 20, 1986 yes 1986 men Valparaiso Crusaders Valparaiso Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 63–50 4–2 Dec 29, 1986 yes Central Michigan Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 55–54 5–2 Dec 31, 1986 yes yes 1986 men Maryland Terrapins Maryland Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland 63–50 6–2 Jan 3, 1987 yes yes Pennsylvania Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 71–67 7–2 Jan 4, 1987 yes yes Yale New Haven Coliseum New Haven, Connecticut 64–49 3,423 8–2 Jan 10, 1987 yes yes DePaul 7 Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, Illinois 54–58 8–3 Jan 12, 1987 yes yes 1986 men Creighton Bluejays Creighton Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha, Nebraska 67–54 9–3 Jan 17, 1987 yes West Virginia Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 55–57 9–4 Jan 24, 1987 yes yes UCLA Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, California 59–63 9–5 Jan 27, 1987 yes 1986 men Dayton Flyers Dayton Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 66–55 10–5 Jan 29, 1987 yes 1986 men Marquette Golden Eagles Marquette Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 58–48 11–5 Feb 1, 1987 yes North Carolina 1 Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 60–58 12–5 Feb 4, 1987 yes 1986 men La Salle Explorers La Salle Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 76–64 13–5 Feb 6, 1987 yes yes 1986 men Vanderbilt Commodores Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee 56–60 13–6 Feb 8, 1987 yes yes Kansas 18 Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas 60–70 13–7 Feb 15, 1987 yes Duke 15 Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 70–66 OT 14–7 Feb 16, 1987 yes 1986 men Wagner Seahawks Wagner Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 74–54 15–7 Feb 18, 1987 yes yes 1986 men Fordham Rams Fordham 69–57 16–7 Feb 21, 1987 yes yes 1986 men Utah Utes Utah Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah 57–56 17–7 Feb 25, 1987 yes DePaul 4 Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 73–62 18–7 Feb 28, 1987 yes yes Marquette MECCA Arena Milwaukee, Wisconsin 72–60 19–7 Mar 3, 1987 yes 20 1986 men Brooklyn Bulldogs Brooklyn Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 76–57 20–7 Mar 5, 1987 yes 20 1986 men Miami Hurricanes Miami (FL) Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 65–49 21–7 Mar 7, 1987 yes yes 20 Dayton University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio 62–56 22–7 |- !colspan=9 style=Notre Dame Fighting Irish| NCAA Tournament Mar 12, 1987 yes yes 18 5 E Middle Tennessee 12 E Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina First round 84–71Rivers Gives Irish Jump Start https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1987-03-13-0110390146-story.html Orlando Sentinel March 13, 1987 March 12, 2022 23–7 Mar 14, 1987 yes yes 18 5 E TCU 19 4 E Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina Second round 58–57N.C.A.A Tournament: Runnin' Rebels Roll; Irish Squeak By; North Carolina Beats Michigan https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/15/sports/ncaa-tournament-runnin-rebel-s-roll-irish-squeak-north-carolina-beats-michigan.html The New York Times March 15, 1987 February 1, 2022 24–7 Mar 19, 1987 yes yes 18 5 E North Carolina 2 1 E Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey East Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 68–74North Carolina, Syracuse Reach Final in East https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1987/03/20/north-carolina-syracuse-reach-final-in-east/7b2286b9-2fab-47e1-8129-cac162b0b4dd/ The Washington Post March 20, 1987 February 1, 2022 24–8 yes AP Poll/UPI Poll Eastern Time E East 2019-20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Men's Basketball Media Guide https://und.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2019-20-ND-MBB-Media-Guide.pdf 120 PDF Notre Dame Athletics January 30, 2022 Rankings 1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 943–944 2009 0-345-51392-4 References Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball seasons Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame Fighting Irish