1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Season	1985–86
NCAA Tournament	1986
Preseason No. 1	Georgia Tech
NCAA Tournament Champions	Louisville
NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings ←  1984–85 1986–87  →

The 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's preseason basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls. The Louisville Cardinals would finish the season ranked at the top of both polls after winning the National Championship.

Legend

		Increase in ranking
		Decrease in ranking
		New to rankings from previous week
Italics		Number of first place votes
(#–#)		Win–loss record
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

AP Poll

	Preseason   [1]	Week 1 Nov. 25 [1]	Week 2 Dec. 2 [1]	Week 3 Dec. 9 [1]	Week 4 Dec. 16 [1]	Week 5 Dec. 23 [1]	Week 6 Dec. 30 [1]	Week 7 Jan. 6 [1]	Week 8 Jan. 13 [1]	Week 9 Jan. 20 [1]	Week 10 Jan. 27 [1]	Week 11 Feb. 3 [1]	Week 12 Feb. 10 [1]	Week 13 Feb. 17 [1]	Week 14 Feb. 24 [1]	Week 15 Mar. 3 [1]	Final Mar. 10 [1]
1.	Georgia Tech	North Carolina (1–0)	North Carolina (5–0) (45)	North Carolina (6–0) (47)	North Carolina (7–0) (45)	North Carolina (10–0)	North Carolina (12–0)	North Carolina (14–0)	North Carolina (16–0)	North Carolina (19–0)	North Carolina (21–0)	North Carolina (22–1)	North Carolina (24–1)	North Carolina (25–1)	Duke (27–2)	Duke (29–2) (62)	Duke (32–2)	1.
2.	North Carolina	Georgia Tech (0–0)	Michigan (4–0) (12)	Michigan (6–0) (13)	Michigan (9–0) (14)	Michigan (10–0)	Michigan (12–0)	Michigan (14–0)	Michigan (16–0)	Duke (16–1)	Memphis State (20–0)	Georgia Tech (17–2)	Duke (22–2)	Duke (25–2)	Kansas (27–3)	Kansas (28–3) (1)	Kansas (31–3)	2.
3.	Michigan	Michigan (2–0)	Duke (6–0) (4)	Duke (8–0) (4)	Duke (8–0) (4)	Duke (9–0)	Duke (11–0)	Duke (12–0)	Duke (15–0)	Memphis State (17–0)	Georgia Tech (16–2)	Memphis State (20–1)	Kansas (22–3)	Kansas (24–3)	North Carolina (25–3)	Kentucky (26–3)	Kentucky (29–3)	3.
4.	Syracuse	Syracuse (1–0)	Syracuse (3–0)	Syracuse (5–0)	Syracuse (6–0)	Syracuse (7–0)	Syracuse (8–0)	Syracuse (10–0)	Syracuse (13–0)	Georgia Tech (15–1)	Kansas (19–2)	Duke (20–2)	Memphis State (22–2)	Memphis State (23–2)	Georgia Tech (21–4)	North Carolina (26–4)	St. John's (30–4)	4.
5.	Kansas	Kansas (2–0)	Georgia Tech (2–1)	Georgetown (4–0) т (1)	Georgetown (6–0) (1)	Georgetown (8–0)	Kansas (12–1)	Georgia Tech (10–1)	Georgia Tech (14–1)	Oklahoma (17–0)	Duke (18–2)	Oklahoma (20–1)	Georgia Tech (18–4)	Georgia Tech (19–4)	Kentucky (24–3)	St. John's (27–4)	Michigan (27–4)	5.
6.	Duke	Duke (2–0)	Georgetown (2–0) (1)	Georgia Tech (4–1) т	Kansas (8–1)	Kansas (9–1)	Georgia Tech (10–1)	Memphis State (12–0)	Memphis State (15–0)	Michigan (17–1)	Oklahoma (18–1)	Kansas (20–3)	UNLV (24–2)	St. John's (24–3)	Syracuse (22–3)	Georgia Tech (23–5)	Georgia Tech (25–6)	6.
7.	Illinois	Illinois (0–0)	Kansas (3–1)	Kansas (6–1)	Georgia Tech (4–1)	Georgia Tech (7–1)	Oklahoma (11–0)	Oklahoma (13–0)	Oklahoma (15–0)	Kansas (16–2)	St. John's (19–2)	Michigan (19–2)	St. John's (23–3)	Michigan (22–3)	Memphis State (24–3)	Michigan (25–4)	Louisville (26–7)	7.
8.	Georgetown	Georgetown (1–0)	Oklahoma (5–0)	Oklahoma (6–0)	Oklahoma (8–0)	Oklahoma (9–0)	LSU (12–0)	LSU (14–0)	Kansas (14–2)	St. John's (17–2)	Kentucky (16–2)	Syracuse (17–2)	Oklahoma (21–2)	Kentucky (22–3)	St. John's (25–4)	Syracuse (23–4)	North Carolina (26–5)	8.
9.	Louisville	Louisville (2–0)	Kentucky (3–0)	Kentucky (5–0)	LSU (8–0)	LSU (11–0)	Memphis State (11–0)	Kansas (12–2)	St. John's (15–2)	Syracuse (13–2)	Michigan (17–2)	UNLV (21–2)	Georgetown (19–4)	Syracuse (20–3)	UNLV (27–3)	Bradley (29–1)	Syracuse (25–5)	9.
10.	Auburn	Kentucky (1–0)	Notre Dame (2–0) (1)	Illinois (5–1)	Memphis State (7–0)	Memphis State (8–0)	St. John's (12–1)	St. John's (14–1)	UNLV (15–2)	UNLV (17–2)	UNLV (19–2)	St. John's (20–3)	Michigan (20–3)	Oklahoma (23–3)	Michigan (23–4)	Memphis State (25–4)	Notre Dame (23–5)	10.
11.	Kentucky	Notre Dame (1–0)	LSU (5–0)	LSU (6–0)	St. John's (8–1)	St. John's (9–1)	Georgetown (9–1)	Kentucky (10–1)	Kentucky (12–2)	Kentucky (14–2)	Syracuse (15–2)	Georgetown (17–3)	Kentucky (20–3)	UNLV (24–3)	Bradley (28–1)	Louisville (24–7)	UNLV (31–4)	11.
12.	Notre Dame	LSU (1–0)	Illinois (2–1)	Memphis State (5–0)	UNLV (5–1)	UNLV (7–1)	Kentucky (9–1)	UNLV (13–2)	UAB (16–2)	Georgetown (13–3)	Georgetown (16–3)	Kentucky (18–3)	Syracuse (18–3)	Bradley (26–1)	Notre Dame (19–5)	Notre Dame (21–5)	Memphis State (27–5)	12.
13.	Oklahoma	Oklahoma (1–0)	Memphis State (2–0)	UNLV (5–1)	Kentucky (5–1)	Kentucky (7–1)	UNLV (10–2)	Georgetown (10–2)	Notre Dame (9–2)	Louisville (11–4)	Bradley (20–1)	Bradley (22–1)	Bradley (24–1)	Georgetown (19–5)	Louisville (22–7)	UNLV (28–4)	Georgetown (23–7)	13.
14.	LSU	Memphis State (0–0)	UNLV (4–1)	St. John's (6–1)	UAB (8–1)	UAB (11–1)	Illinois (9–2)	UAB (13–2)	LSU (15–2)	LSU (16–2)	Notre Dame (12–3)	Notre Dame (14–3)	Notre Dame (16–4)	Notre Dame (17–5)	Oklahoma (23–6)	Georgetown (22–6)	Bradley (31–2)	14.
15.	Memphis State	NC State (0–0)	St. John's (3–1)	Louisville (3–2)	Illinois (5–2)	Louisville (6–2)	Indiana (8–2)	UTEP (13–1)	Georgetown (11–3)	Purdue (16–3)	Indiana (13–4)	Virginia Tech (18–4)	UTEP (21–3)	Indiana (17–5)	Georgetown (20–6)	Oklahoma (24–6)	Oklahoma (26–8)	15.
16.	UAB	UNLV (1–0)	Louisville (2–2)	UAB (5–1)	Louisville (5–2)	Illinois (7–2)	UAB (12–2)	Notre Dame (7–1)	Virginia Tech (12–2)	Notre Dame (10–2)	Virginia Tech (16–4)	Louisville (13–6)	Indiana (16–5)	Louisville (18–7)	Indiana (18–6)	Indiana (20–6)	Indiana (21–7)	16.
17.	NC State	Maryland (1–0)	UAB (2–1)	Notre Dame (3–1)	Indiana (4–1)	Indiana (6–2)	Notre Dame (6–1)	Louisville (7–3)	UTEP (14–2)	Bradley (18–1)	LSU (16–3)	UTEP (18–3)	NC State (17–6)	Navy (20–4)	Michigan State (18–6)	Michigan State (20–6)	Navy (27–4)	17.
18.	UNLV	St. John's (2–0)	Iowa (4–0)	Indiana (2–1)	DePaul (4–0)	Notre Dame (5–1)	Louisville (6–3)	Illinois (10–3)	Louisville (9–4)	UAB (16–4)	Louisville (11–6)	Indiana (14–5)	Alabama (17–4)	Virginia Tech (19–6)	NC State (18–9)	Navy (25–4)	Michigan State (21–7)	18.
19.	Maryland т	Auburn (0–1)	Auburn (1–1)	DePaul (3–0)	Notre Dame (4–1)	Virginia Tech (8–1)	UTEP (11–1)	Virginia Tech (10–2)	Purdue (14–3)	UTEP (15–3)	UTEP (17–3)	Western Kentucky (17–3)	Louisville (16–7)	Michigan State (17–6)	Navy (23–4)	Illinois (20–8)	Illinois (21–9)	19.
20.	Navy т	UAB (1–1)	Indiana (1–0)	Ohio State (5–0)	Virginia Tech (7–1)	DePaul (6–2)	Virginia Tech (8–2)	Purdue (13–2)	Bradley (16–1)	Virginia Tech (14–3)	Richmond (16–2)	Alabama (15–4)	Virginia Tech (18–6)	NC State (17–8)	Purdue (21–7)	NC State (18–11)	UTEP (27–5)	20.
	Preseason   [1]	Week 1 Nov. 25 [1]	Week 2 Dec. 2 [1]	Week 3 Dec. 9 [1]	Week 4 Dec. 16 [1]	Week 5 Dec. 23 [1]	Week 6 Dec. 30 [1]	Week 7 Jan. 6 [1]	Week 8 Jan. 13 [1]	Week 9 Jan. 20 [1]	Week 10 Jan. 27 [1]	Week 11 Feb. 3 [1]	Week 12 Feb. 10 [1]	Week 13 Feb. 17 [1]	Week 14 Feb. 24 [1]	Week 15 Mar. 3 [1]	Final Mar. 10 [1]
		Dropped: Navy	Dropped: NC State Maryland	Dropped: Iowa Auburn	Dropped: Ohio State	None	Dropped: DePaul	Dropped: Indiana	Dropped: Illinois	None	Dropped: Purdue (16–5) UAB	Dropped: LSU Richmond	Dropped: Western Kentucky	Dropped: UTEP (21–5) Alabama (17–6)	Dropped: Virginia Tech	Dropped: Purdue	Dropped: NC State (18–12)

Coaches Poll

	Preseason   [1]	Week 2 Dec. 2 [1]	Week 3 Dec. 9 [1]	Week 4 Dec. 16 [1]	Week 5 Dec. 23 [1]	Week 6 Dec. 30 [1]	Week 7 Jan. 6 [1]	Week 8 Jan. 13 [1]	Week 9 Jan. 20 [1]	Week 10 Jan. 27 [1]	Week 11 Feb. 3 [1]	Week 12 Feb. 10 [1]	Week 13 Feb. 17 [1]	Week 14 Feb. 24 [1]	Week 15 Mar. 3 [1]	Final Mar. 10 [1]
1.	Michigan	North Carolina (5–0)	North Carolina (6–0)	North Carolina (7–0)	North Carolina (10–0)	North Carolina (12–0)	North Carolina (14–0)	North Carolina (16–0)	North Carolina (19–0)	North Carolina (21–0)	North Carolina (22–1)	North Carolina (24–1)	North Carolina (25–1)	Duke (27–2)	Duke (29–2)	Duke (32–2)	1.
2.	Georgia Tech	Michigan (4–0)	Michigan (6–0)	Michigan (9–0)	Michigan (10–0)	Michigan (12–0)	Michigan (14–0)	Michigan (16–0)	Duke (16–1)	Memphis State (20–0)	Georgia Tech (17–2) т	Duke (22–2)	Duke (25–2)	Kansas (27–3)	Kansas (28–3)	Kansas (31–3)	2.
3.	North Carolina	Duke (6–0)	Duke (8–0)	Duke (8–0)	Duke (9–0)	Duke (11–0)	Duke (12–0)	Duke (15–0)	Georgia Tech (15–1)	Georgia Tech (16–2)	Duke (20–2) т	Kansas (22–3)	Kansas (24–3)	North Carolina (25–3) т	North Carolina (26–4)	St. John's (30–4)	3.
4.	Kansas	Georgia Tech (2–1)	Kansas (6–1)	Kansas (8–1)	Kansas (9–1)	Kansas (12–1)	Syracuse (10–0)	Syracuse (13–0)	Michigan (17–1)	Duke (18–2)	Memphis State (20–1)	UNLV (24–2)	Memphis State (23–2)	Georgia Tech (21–4) т	Kentucky (26–3)	Kentucky (29–3)	4.
5.	Duke	Syracuse (3–0)	Syracuse (5–0)	Syracuse (6–0)	Syracuse (7–0)	Syracuse (8–0)	Georgia Tech (10–1)	Georgia Tech (14–1)	Memphis State (17–0)	Kansas (19–2)	Kansas (20–3)	Georgia Tech (18–4)	Georgia Tech (19–4)	Kentucky (24–3)	St. John's (27–4)	Michigan (27–4)	5.
6.	Syracuse	Kansas (3–1)	Georgia Tech (4–1)	Georgetown (6–0)	Georgia Tech (7–1)	Georgia Tech (10–1)	Memphis State (12–0)	Memphis State (15–0)	Oklahoma (17–0)	Oklahoma (18–1)	Oklahoma (20–1)	Memphis State (22–2)	St. John's (24–3)	Syracuse (22–3)	Georgia Tech (23–5)	Georgia Tech (25–6)	6.
7.	Illinois	Georgetown (2–0)	Georgetown (4–0)	Georgia Tech (4–1)	Georgetown (8–0)	Oklahoma (11–0)	LSU (14–0)	Oklahoma (15–0)	Kansas (16–2)	St. John's (19–2)	Syracuse (17–2)	St. John's (23–3)	Kentucky (22–3)	UNLV (27–3)	Michigan (25–4)	Louisville (26–7)	7.
8.	Georgetown	Kentucky (3–0)	Kentucky (5–0)	Oklahoma (8–0)	LSU (11–0)	St. John's (12–1)	Oklahoma (13–0)	Kansas (14–2)	St. John's (17–2)	Michigan (17–2)	Michigan (19–2)	Kentucky (20–3)	Michigan (22–3)	Memphis State (24–3)	Syracuse (23–4)	North Carolina (26–5)	8.
9.	LSU	UNLV (4–1)	Oklahoma (6–0)	St. John's (8–1)	Oklahoma (9–0)	LSU (12–0)	Kansas (12–2)	St. John's (15–2)	Kentucky (14–2)	Kentucky (16–2)	UNLV (21–2)	Michigan (20–3)	Oklahoma (23–3)	Bradley (28–1)	Bradley (29–1)	Syracuse (25–5)	9.
10.	Louisville	Oklahoma (5–0)	UNLV (5–1)	UNLV (5–1)	Kentucky (7–1)	Kentucky (9–1)	St. John's (14–1)	UNLV (15–2)	UNLV (17–2)	Syracuse (15–2)	St. John's (20–3)	Oklahoma (21–2)	Syracuse (20–3)	St. John's (25–4)	Memphis State (25–4)	UNLV (31–4)	10.
11.	Auburn	LSU (5–0)	Illinois (5–1)	LSU (8–0) т	St. John's (9–1)	Georgetown (9–1)	Kentucky (10–1)	Kentucky (12–2)	Syracuse (13–2)	UNLV (19–2)	Georgetown (17–3)	Georgetown (19–4)	UNLV (24–3)	Michigan (23–4)	UNLV (28–4)	Notre Dame (23–5)	11.
12.	Kentucky	Illinois (2–1)	LSU (6–0)	Memphis State (7–0) т	UNLV (7–1)	Memphis State (11–0)	UNLV (13–2)	UAB (16–2)	Georgetown (13–3)	Georgetown (16–3)	Kentucky (18–3)	Bradley (24–1)	Bradley (26–1)	Notre Dame (19–5)	Louisville (24–7)	Memphis State (27–5)	12.
13.	Notre Dame	Notre Dame (2–0)	St. John's (6–1)	Illinois (5–2)	Memphis State (8–0)	UNLV (10–2)	UAB (13–2)	Notre Dame (9–2)	LSU (16–2)	Bradley (20–1)	Bradley (22–1)	Syracuse (18–3)	Georgetown (19–5)	Oklahoma (23–6)	Notre Dame (21–5)	Bradley (31–2)	13.
14.	NC State т	St. John's (2–0)	Louisville (3–2)	Kentucky (5–1)	Louisville (6–2)	Illinois (9–2)	UTEP (13–1)	LSU (15–2)	Louisville (11–4)	UTEP (17–3)	UTEP (18–3)	Notre Dame (16–4) т	Indiana (17–5)	Louisville (22–7)	Indiana (20–6)	Indiana (21–7)	14.
15.	Iowa т	Louisville (2–2)	Memphis State (5–0)	UAB (8–1)	Illinois (7–2)	Indiana (8–2)	Georgetown (10–2)	UTEP (14–2)	Notre Dame (10–2)	Louisville (11–6)	Virginia Tech (18–4)	UTEP (21–3) т	Notre Dame (17–5)	Georgetown (20–6)	Georgetown (22–6)	Georgetown (23–7)	15.
16.	UAB	Memphis State (2–0)	Notre Dame (3–1) т	Indiana (4–1)	Indiana (6–2)	UTEP (11–1)	Notre Dame (7–1)	Georgetown (11–3)	Purdue (16–3)	Indiana (13–4)	Louisville (13–6)	Indiana (16–5)	Louisville (18–7)	Indiana (18–6)	Oklahoma (24–6)	UTEP (27–5)	16.
17.	Washington	UAB (2–1)	Indiana (2–1) т	Louisville (5–2)	Notre Dame (5–1)	UAB (12–2)	Louisville (7–3)	Purdue (14–3)	Bradley (18–1)	LSU (16–3)	Notre Dame (14–3)	Alabama (17–4)	NC State (17–8)	Michigan State (18–6)	UTEP (24–5)	Oklahoma (26–8)	17.
18.	UNLV	Auburn (1–1)	UAB (5–1)	DePaul (4–0)	DePaul (6–2)	Louisville (6–3)	Purdue (13–2)	Louisville (9–4)	UTEP (15–3)	Notre Dame (12–3)	Indiana (14–5)	NC State (17–6)	Alabama (17–6)	NC State (18–9)	Michigan State (20–6)	Michigan State (21–7)	18.
19.	DePaul	Iowa (4–0)	Ohio State (5–0)	Notre Dame (4–1)	UTEP (8–1)	Notre Dame (6–1)	Illinois (10–3) т	Bradley (16–1)	UAB (16–4)	Virginia Tech (16–4)	NC State (14–6)	Louisville (16–7) т	UTEP (21–5)	Alabama (19–6)	Illinois (20–8)	Alabama (22–8)	19.
20.	UCLA	Indiana (1–0)	DePaul (3–0)	Pepperdine (6–1)	Washington (6–2)	NC State (7–3)	Bradley (12–1) т	Virginia Tech (12–2)	Pepperdine (14–3)	Pepperdine (16–3) т Purdue (16–5) т	Virginia (14–5)	Pepperdine (19–4) т	Pepperdine (20–4)	Pepperdine (22–4)	Pepperdine (24–4)	Illinois (21–9)	20.
	Preseason   [1]	Week 2 Dec. 2 [1]	Week 3 Dec. 9 [1]	Week 4 Dec. 16 [1]	Week 5 Dec. 23 [1]	Week 6 Dec. 30 [1]	Week 7 Jan. 6 [1]	Week 8 Jan. 13 [1]	Week 9 Jan. 20 [1]	Week 10 Jan. 27 [1]	Week 11 Feb. 3 [1]	Week 12 Feb. 10 [1]	Week 13 Feb. 17 [1]	Week 14 Feb. 24 [1]	Week 15 Mar. 3 [1]	Final Mar. 10 [1]
		Dropped: NC State Washington DePaul UCLA	Dropped: Auburn Iowa	Dropped: Ohio State	Dropped: UAB Pepperdine	Dropped: DePaul Washington	Dropped: Indiana NC State	Dropped: Illinois	Dropped: Virginia Tech (14–3)	Dropped: UAB	Dropped: LSU Pepperdine (17–4) Purdue	Dropped: Virginia Tech (18–6) Virginia	None	Dropped: UTEP	Dropped: NC State (18–11) Alabama	Dropped: Pepperdine

References

1. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. p. 932–933. ISBN   978-0-345-51392-2.