1984–85 Big East Conference men's basketball season

American college basketball season March 2025 1984–85 Big East Conference Men's Basketball Season #072E67 #EFE3BB NCAA Division I Basketball Big East Conference primary logo 1979-1998.png 250px November 23, 1984through March 10, 1985 9 ESPN Regular Season St. John's (15–1) Champion Patrick Ewing – Georgetown Chris Mullin – St. John's Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year Tournament 1985 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament Georgetown Patrick Ewing – Georgetown Most Valuable Player Basketball 1983–84 1985–86 The 1984–85 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the sixth in conference history, and involved its nine full-time member schools. St. John's won its third regular season championship. Georgetown won its third Big East tournament championship. St. John's, Georgetown, and Villanova all advanced to the Final Four, and Villanova defeated Georgetown for the national championship in a major upset. Season summary & highlights Georgetown and St. John's met four times, in each case with one team ranked No. 1 and the other No. 2 or No. 3. In the first meeting on January 26 at a sold-out Capital Centre, No. 2 St. John's upset the No. 1 Hoyas, breaking a 29-game Georgetown winning streak with St. John's coach Lou Carnesecca wearing an old sweater to keep warm while suffering from a common cold. It became his "lucky sweater," and he wore it at every game that followed as the Redmen won another ten games in a row. With their rivalry at its peak, the two teams then met at a sold-out Madison Square Garden on February 27 with St. John's ranked No. 1 and the Hoyas No. 2. When Carnesecca — wearing his sweater — and Georgetown coach John Thompson, Jr., met courtside for a pregame handshake, Thompson opened his coat to reveal that he was wearing a replica T-shirt of Carnesecca's sweater, drawing a roar of laughter from the crowd. Georgetown went on to end the Redmen's winning streak with an 85–69 victory in a nationally televised game that went down in the history of both schools as "The Sweater Game."http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/r_williams.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 33. Reggie Williams 2014-03-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003232/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/r_williams.htm 2016-03-04 dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/sweater.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Sweater Game, February 1985 2013-12-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20131215213205/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/sweater.htm 2013-12-15 dead In a game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, on January 28, Syracuse upset the No. 1-ranked Hoyas 65–63 on a game-winning jumper by Pearl Washington with seven seconds left. prompting celebrating Syracuse fans to rush the court. It was Syracuse's first-ever victory over a No. 1-ranked team.https://www.espn.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/78648/top-10-moments-georgetown-vs-syracuse Top 10 Moments: Georgetown vs Syracuse ESPN.com Jeremy Lundblad March 8, 2013 January 30, 2026 St. John's won its third regular season championship with a 15–1 record. Georgetown won its third Big East tournament championship. St. John's, Georgetown, and Villanova all advanced to the Final Four. It was the first Final Four appearance for St. John's since 1952. Georgetown reached the national championship game for the fourth time in school history and third time in four years. Georgetown was the heavy favorite to defeat Villanova in the national championship game and win a second-straight national championship. Exceeding expectations, Villanova had a storybook tournament, advancing from a No. 8 seed in the Southeast Region and upsetting Michigan, Maryland, and North Carolina to reach the championship game. Georgetown shot 29-for-53 (55%) from the field, probably enough to win most games, but Villanova set an NCAA record for team shooting percentage from the field in a single game, shooting 22-for-28 (78.6%) from the field and 22-for-27 (81.5%) from the free-throw line. After halftime, the Wildcats shot 90% from the field, missing only one field goal attempt in the entire second half. The record-breaking performance earned Villanova a two-point victory, defeating the Hoyas 66–64 in what many observers regard as perhaps the biggest upset in American sports history.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_wingate.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 11. David Wingate 2014-03-09 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329170847/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/d_wingate.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Classic Games 2014-03-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041705/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm 2015-09-24 dead St. John's senior forward Chris Mullin was the 1985 NCAA Tournament's top scorer. Villanova senior forward Ed Pinckney was the 1985 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Georgetown finished the season ranked No. 1 and set a new school record for victories in a season with 35 wins, breaking the record of 34 set the previous season. Head coaches SchoolCoachSeasonNotes Boston College Gary Williams 3rd Connecticut Dom Perno 8th Georgetown John Thompson, Jr. 13th Pittsburgh Roy Chipman 5th Providence Joe Mullaney 18th Retired March 7, 1985 St. John's Lou Carnesecca 17th Big East Coach of the Year (2nd award) Seton Hall P. J. Carlesimo 3rd Syracuse Jim Boeheim 9th Villanova Rollie Massimino 12th Rankings Georgetown was ranked No. 1 in the Top 20 of the Associated Press poll for the entire season except for a five-week stretch when St. John's took the No.1 spot and Georgetown fell to No 2. St. John's never fell below No. 8 all season and spent all but two weeks in the top five, and Syracuse also spent the entire season in the Top 20, reaching as high as No. 7. Boston College and Villanova also appeared in the Top 20. + 1984–85 Big East Conference Weekly RankingsKey: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. AP Pollhttps://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-east/men/1985.html 1984-85 Men's Big East Conference Season Summary March 27, 2025 sports-reference.com Pre 11/26 12/3 12/10 12/17 12/24 12/31 1/7 1/14 1/21 1/28 2/4 2/11 2/18 2/25 3/4 FinalBoston College 12 15 20 Connecticut Georgetown 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 Pittsburgh Providence St. John's 7 3 3 4 8 5 4 3 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 Seton Hall Syracuse 12 14 12 10 9 6 5 7 7 11 9 6 8 7 12 13 15 Villanova 16 18 14 19 18 16 Regular-season statistical leaders 18em start ScoringNameSchoolPPG Andre McCloud SHU 20.8 Chris Mullin SJU 22.1 Rafael Addison Syr 18.4 Walter Berry SJU 17.0 Earl Kelley Conn 16.8 18em break ReboundingNameSchoolRPG Patrick Ewing GU 9.2 Ed Pinckney Vill 8.9 Walter Berry SJU 8.7 Charles Smith Pitt 8.0 Harold Pressley Vill 7.9 18em break AssistsNameSchoolAPG Michael Jackson GU 6.7 Pearl Washington Syr 6.1 Michael Adams BC 5.2 Earl Kelley Conn 4.8 Chris Mullin SJU 4.3 18em break StealsNameSchoolSPG Michael Adams BC 2.3 Chris Mullin SJU 2.1 Pearl Washington Syr 2.0 Harold Starks Prov 2.0 Dominic Pressley BC 1.7 18em break BlocksNameSchoolBPG Patrick Ewing GU 3.6 Charles Smith Pitt 2.2 Rony Seikaly Syr 1.9 Ed Pinckney Vill 1.8 Ray Knight Prov 1.8 18em break Field GoalsNameSchoolFG% Patrick Ewing GU .625 Ed Pinckney Vill .600 Dwayne McClain Vill .574 Walter Berry SJU .558 Ray Broxton Conn .552 18em break Free ThrowsNameSchoolFT% Earl Kelley Conn .856 Chris Mullin SJU .824 Bill Wennington SJU .816 Pearl Washington Syr .784 Dwayne McClain Vill .774 end Postseason Big East tournament 1985 Big East men's basketball tournament Seeding Seeding in the Big East tournament was based on conference record, with tiebreakers applied as necessary. The eighth- and ninth-seeded teams played a first-round game, and the other seven teams received a bye into the quarterfinals. The tournament's seeding was as follows: (1) St. John's, (2) Georgetown, (3) Syracuse, (4) Villanova, (5) Pittsburgh, (6) Boston College, (7) Connecticut, (8) Providence, (9) Seton Hall. Bracket First roundMarch 6, 1985 QuarterfinalsMarch 7, 1985 SemifinalsMarch 8, 1985 Championship GameMarch 9, 1985 high 8 1984-85 Providence Friars Providence College Providence 77OT 9 1984-85 Seton Hall Pirates Seton Hall University Seton Hall 75 1 2 St. John's 90 8 Providence 62 4 Villanova 69 5 Pittsburgh 61 2 1 Georgetown 93 7 Connecticut 62 3 13 Syracuse 70 6 Boston College 69 1 2 St. John's 89 4 Villanova 74 2 1 Georgetown 74 3 13 Syracuse 65 1 2 St. John's 80 2 1 Georgetown 92 NCAA tournament 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Six Big East teams received bids to the NCAA Tournament, with Georgetown seeded No. 1 in the East Region and St. John's No. 1 in the West region. Pittsburgh lost in the first round, Syracuse in the second round, and Boston College in the regional semifinals, but Georgetown, St. John's, and Villanova all advanced to the Final Four. Georgetown defeated St. John's in the national semifinals and played in the championship game for the fourth time in school history and the third time in four seasons. In a major upset, Villanova defeated Georgetown for the national championship. St. John's senior forward Chris Mullin was the tournament's top scorer with 110 points, and Villanova senior forward Ed Pinckney was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. School Region Seed Round 1 Round 2 Sweet 16 Elite 8 Final 4 Final Villanova Southeast 8 9 Dayton, W 51–49 1 Michigan, W 59–55 9 Maryland, W 46–43 9 North Carolina, W 56–44 MW2 Memphis State, W 52–45 E1 Georgetown, W 66–64 Georgetown East 1 16 Lehigh, W 68–43 9 Virginia Tech, W 63–46 4 Loyola Chicago, W 65–53 2 Georgia Tech, W 60–54 W1 St. John's, W 77–51 SE8 Villanova, L 66–64 St. John's West 1 16 Southern, W 83–59 9 Arkansas, W 68–65 12 Kentucky, W 86–70 3 NC State, W 69–60 E1 Georgetown, L 77–59 Boston College Midwest 11 6 Texas Tech, L 55–53 3 Duke, W 74–73 2 Memphis State, L 59–57 Syracuse East 7 10 DePaul, L 70–65 2 Georgia Tech, L 70–53 Pittsburgh Midwest 12 5 Louisiana Tech, L 78–54 National Invitation Tournament 1985 National Invitation Tournament No Big East teams received bids to the National Invitation Tournament. Awards and honors Big East Conference Co-Players of the Year: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, C, Sr. Chris Mullin, St. John's, F, Sr. Defensive Player of the Year: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, C, Sr. Freshman of the Year: Charles Smith, Pittsburgh, F Coach of the Year: Lou Carnesecca, St. John's (17th season) All-Big East First Team Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, C, Sr., 7 ft 0 in cm 0, 240 lb 0, Cambridge, Mass. Chris Mullin, St. John's, F, Sr., 6 ft 6 in cm 0, 205 lb 0, Brooklyn, N.Y. Pearl Washington, Syracuse, G, So., 6 ft 2 in cm 0, 190 lb 0, Brooklyn, N.Y. Rafael Addison, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6 ft 7 in cm 0, 215 lb 0, Jersey City, N.J. Ed Pinckney, Villanova, F, Sr., 6 ft 9 in cm 0, 205 lb 0, The Bronx, N.Y. All-Big East Second Team: Michael Adams, Boston College, G, Sr., 5 ft 10 in cm 0, 165 lb 0, Hartford, Conn. Earl Kelley, Connecticut, G, Jr., 6 ft 1 in cm 0, 177 lb 0, New Haven, Conn. Bill Martin, Georgetown, F, Sr., 6 ft 7 in cm 0, 215 lb 0, Washington, D.C. Bill Wennington, St. John's, C, Sr., 7 ft 0 in cm 0, 245 lb 0, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Walter Berry, St. John's, F, So., 6 ft 8 in cm 0, 215 lb 0, New York, N.Y. All-Big East Third Team: David Wingate, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6 ft 5 in cm 0, 185 lb 0, Baltimore, Md. Michael Jackson, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6 ft 2 in cm 0, 183 lb 0, Fairfax, Va. Charles Smith, Pittsburgh, F, Fr., 6 ft 10 in cm 0, 250 lb 0, Bridgeport, Conn. Andre McCloud, Seton Hall, F, So., 6 ft 6 in cm 0, 210 lb 0, Washington, D.C. Mike Moses, St. John's, G, Sr., 5 ft 11 in cm 0, 160 lb 0, New York, N.Y. Dwayne McClain, Villanova, G, Sr., 6 ft 6 in cm 0, 185 lb 0, Worcester, Mass. Big East All-Freshman Team: Skip Barry, Boston College, F, 6 ft 7 in cm 0, 210 lb 0, Nashua, N.H. Charles Smith, Pittsburgh, F, 6 ft 10 in cm 0, 250 lb 0, Bridgeport, Conn. Mark Bryant, Seton Hall, F, 6 ft 9 in cm 0, 245 lb 0, Glen Ridge, N.J. Michael Brown, Syracuse, G, 6 ft 4 in cm 0, 205 lb 0, Baltimore, Md. Rony Seikaly, Syracuse, G, 6 ft 10 in cm 0, 240 lb 0, Athens, Greece All-Americans The following players were selected to the 1985 Associated Press All-America teams. 1985 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans Consensus All-America First Team: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, Key Stats: 14.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.6 bpg, 62.5 FG%, 542 points Chris Mullin, St. John's, Key Stats: 19.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 52.1 FG%, 694 points Consensus All-America Second Team: Pearl Washington, Syracuse, Key Stats: 15.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 6.1 apg, 49.9 FG%, 476 points First Team All-America: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, Key Stats: 14.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.6 bpg, 62.5 FG%, 542 points Chris Mullin, St. John's, Key Stats: 19.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 52.1 FG%, 694 points Third Team All-America: Pearl Washington, Syracuse, Key Stats: 15.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 6.1 apg, 49.9 FG%, 476 points AP Honorable Mention Michael Adams, Boston College Rafael Addison, Syracuse Walter Berry, St. John's Bill Martin, Georgetown Ed Pinckney, Villanova See also 1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season 1984–85 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team 1984–85 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team 1984–85 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team 1984–85 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team 1984–85 St. John's Redmen basketball team 1984–85 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team 1984–85 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team References