1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Last updated

1985 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
1985 Final Four logo.png
Season 198485
Teams64
Finals site Rupp Arena
Lexington, Kentucky
Champions Villanova Wildcats (1st title, 1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Runner-up Georgetown Hoyas (4th title game,
5th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coach Rollie Massimino (1st title)
MOP Ed Pinckney (Villanova)
Attendance422,519
Top scorer Chris Mullin (St. John's)
(110 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
« 1984 1986 »

The 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began on March 14, 1985, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Lexington, Kentucky. A total of 63 games were played.

Contents

Eighth-seed Villanova, coached by Rollie Massimino, won their first national title with a 66–64 victory in the final game over Georgetown, coached by John Thompson. Ed Pinckney of Villanova was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The game, often cited as "The Perfect Game", is widely considered among the greatest upsets in college basketball history, and is the second biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history. [1] [2] This Villanova team remains the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament. The Wildcats are also notable as the last Division I men's national champion to date to represent a school that did not sponsor varsity football at the time of its title (Villanova had dropped football after the 1980 season and did not reinstate the sport until the 1985 season, the first after the championship game). The game is also notable as the last played without a shot clock.

This year's Final Four saw an unprecedented and unmatched three teams from the same conference, with Big East members Villanova and Georgetown joined by St. John's. The only "interloper" in the Big East party was Memphis State, then of the Metro Conference (Memphis State's 1985 Final Four appearance was vacated due to using ineligible players, as were all of its tournament appearances from 1982 to 1986). Lehigh, champion of the East Coast Conference Tournament, became the first team in NCAA Tournament history to compete with a record below .500, as they were 12–18 at the time they played in the First Round. [3]

This was also the first year that one of the regionals was named "Southeast", replacing "Mideast". This name was used until 1998, when the regional was renamed "South". This was also the last tournament until 2010 to feature two private schools in the title game. This tournament was also the last until 2012 to feature no teams in the Sweet 16 from the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones.

Schedule and venues

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Atlanta
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Dayton
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Albuquerque
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Hartford
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Houston
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South Bend
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Tulsa
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Salt Lake City
1985 first and second rounds
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Dallas
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Providence
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Birmingham
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Denver
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Lexington
1985 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1985 tournament:

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

RegionSeedTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
East1 Georgetown John Thompson Big EastRunner-up8 Villanova L 66–64
East2 Georgia Tech Bobby Cremins Atlantic CoastRegional Runner-up1 Georgetown L 60–54
East3 Illinois Lou Henson Big TenSweet Sixteen2 Georgia Tech L 61–53
East4 Loyola Chicago Gene Sullivan Midwestern City Sweet Sixteen1 Georgetown L 65–53
East5 SMU Dave Bliss SouthwestRound of 324 Loyola–Chicago L 70–57
East6 Georgia Hugh Durham SoutheasternRound of 323 Illinois L 74–58
East7 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Big EastRound of 322 Georgia Tech L 70–53
East8 Temple John Chaney Atlantic 10Round of 321 Georgetown L 63–46
East9 Virginia Tech Charles Moir MetroRound of 648 Temple L 60–57
East10 DePaul Joey Meyer IndependentRound of 647 Syracuse L 70–65
East11 Wichita State Gene Smithson Missouri ValleyRound of 646 Georgia L 67–59
East12 Old Dominion Paul Webb Sun BeltRound of 645 SMU L 85–68
East13 Iona Pat Kennedy Metro AtlanticRound of 644 Loyola–Chicago L 59–58
East14 Northeastern Jim Calhoun ECAC North Round of 643 Illinois L 76–57
East15 Mercer Bill Bibb Trans America Round of 642 Georgia Tech L 65–58
East16 Lehigh Tom SchneiderEast CoastRound of 641 Georgetown L 68–43
Midwest
Midwest1 Oklahoma Billy Tubbs Big EightRegional Runner-up2 Memphis State L 63–61
Midwest2 Memphis State Dana Kirk MetroNational semifinals8 Villanova L 52–45
Midwest3 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Atlantic CoastRound of 3211 Boston College L 74–73
Midwest4 Ohio State Eldon Miller Big TenRound of 325 Louisiana Tech L 79–67
Midwest5 Louisiana Tech Andy Russo SouthlandSweet Sixteen1 Oklahoma L 86–84
Midwest6 Texas Tech Gerald Myers SouthwestRound of 6411 Boston College L 55–53
Midwest7 UAB Gene Bartow Sun BeltRound of 322 Memphis State L 67–66
Midwest8 USC Stan Morrison Pacific-10Round of 649 Illinois State L 58–55
Midwest9 Illinois State Bob Donewald Missouri ValleyRound of 321 Oklahoma L 75–69
Midwest10 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Big TenRound of 647 UAB L 70–68
Midwest11 Boston College Gary Williams Big EastSweet Sixteen2 Memphis State L 59–57
Midwest12 Pittsburgh Roy Chipman Big EastRound of 645 Louisiana Tech L 78–54
Midwest13 Iowa State Johnny Orr Big EightRound of 644 Ohio State L 75–64
Midwest14 Pepperdine Jim Harrick West CoastRound of 643 Duke L 75–62
Midwest15 Penn Craig Littlepage Ivy LeagueRound of 642 Memphis State L 67–55
Midwest16 North Carolina A&T Don Corbett Mid-EasternRound of 641 Oklahoma L 96–83
Southeast
Southeast1 Michigan Bill Frieder Big TenRound of 328 Villanova L 59–55
Southeast2 North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic CoastRegional Runner-up8 Villanova L 56–44
Southeast3 Kansas Larry Brown Big EightRound of 3211 Auburn L 66–64
Southeast4 LSU Dale Brown SoutheasternRound of 6413 Navy L 78–55
Southeast5 Maryland Lefty Driesell Atlantic CoastSweet Sixteen8 Villanova L 46–43
Southeast6 Purdue Gene Keady Big TenRound of 6411 Auburn L 59–58
Southeast7 Notre Dame Digger Phelps IndependentRound of 322 North Carolina L 60–58
Southeast8 Villanova Rollie Massimino Big EastChampion1 Georgetown W 66–64
Southeast9 Dayton Don Donoher IndependentRound of 648 Villanova L 51–49
Southeast10 Oregon State Ralph Miller Pacific-10Round of 647 Notre Dame L 79–70
Southeast11 Auburn Sonny Smith SoutheasternSweet Sixteen2 North Carolina L 62–56
Southeast12 Miami (OH) Jerry Peirson Mid-AmericanRound of 645 Maryland L 69–68
Southeast13 Navy Paul Evans ECAC South Round of 325 Maryland L 64–59
Southeast14 Ohio Danny Nee Mid-AmericanRound of 643 Kansas L 49–38
Southeast15 Middle Tennessee State Bruce Stewart Ohio ValleyRound of 642 North Carolina L 76–57
Southeast16 Fairleigh Dickinson Tom Green ECAC Metro Round of 641 Michigan L 59–55
West
West1 St. John's Lou Carnesecca Big EastNational semifinals1 Georgetown L 77–59
West2 VCU J. D. Barnett Sun BeltRound of 327 Alabama L 63–59
West3 NC State Jim Valvano Atlantic CoastRegional Runner-up1 St. John's L 69–60
West4 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Pacific Coast Round of 3212 Kentucky L 64–61
West5 Washington Marv Harshman Pacific-10Round of 6412 Kentucky L 66–58
West6 Tulsa Nolan Richardson Missouri ValleyRound of 6411 UTEP L 79–75
West7 Alabama Wimp Sanderson SoutheasternSweet Sixteen3 NC State L 61–55
West8 Iowa George Raveling Big TenRound of 649 Arkansas L 63–54
West9 Arkansas Eddie Sutton SouthwestRound of 321 St. John's L 68–65
West10 Arizona Lute Olson Pacific-10Round of 647 Alabama L 50–41
West11 UTEP Don Haskins Western AthleticRound of 323 NC State L 86–73
West12 Kentucky Joe B. Hall SoutheasternSweet Sixteen1 St. John's L 86–70
West13 San Diego State Smokey Gaines Western AthleticRound of 644 UNLV L 85–80
West14 Nevada Sonny Allen Big SkyRound of 643 NC State L 65–56
West15 Marshall Rick Huckabay SouthernRound of 642 VCU L 81–65
West16 Southern Robert Hopkins Southwestern AthleticRound of 641 St. John's L 83–59

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – Providence, Rhode Island

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Georgetown68
16 Lehigh 43
1 Georgetown63
Hartford
9 Virginia Tech 46
8 Temple 60
9 Virginia Tech87
1 Georgetown65
4 Loyola Chicago 53
5 SMU85
12 Old Dominion 68
5 SMU 57
Hartford
4 Loyola Chicago70
4 Loyola–Chicago59
13 Iona 58
1 Georgetown60
2 Georgia Tech 54
6 Georgia67
11 Wichita State 59
6 Georgia 58
Atlanta
3 Illinois74
3 Illinois76
14 Northeastern 57
3 Illinois 53
2 Georgia Tech61
7 Syracuse70
10 DePaul 65
7 Syracuse 53
Atlanta
2 Georgia Tech70
2 Georgia Tech65
15 Mercer 58

Regional Final Summary

CBS
Saturday, March 23
#1 Georgetown Hoyas60, #2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 54
Pts: P. Ewing – 14
Rebs: R. Dalton – 6
Asts: M. Jackson – 5
Pts: J. Salley – 15
Rebs: J. Salley – 5
Asts: S. Petway – 4
Halftime Score: 29–29
Providence Civic Center – Providence, Rhode Island

West Regional – Denver, Colorado

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 St John's83
16 Southern 59
1 St John's68
Salt Lake City
9 Arkansas 65
8 Iowa 54
9 Arkansas63
1 St John's86
12 Kentucky 70
5 Washington 58
12 Kentucky66
12 Kentucky64
Salt Lake City
4 UNLV 61
4 UNLV85
13 San Diego State 80
1 St. John's69
3 NC State 60
6 Tulsa 75
11 UTEP79
11 UTEP 73
Albuquerque
3 NC State86
3 NC State65
14 Nevada 56
3 NC State61
7 Alabama 55
7 Alabama50
10 Arizona 41
7 Alabama63
Albuquerque
2 VCU 59
2 VCU81
15 Marshall 65

First round Summary

NCAA Productions
ESPN
Thursday, March 14
12:07 PM MST/2:07 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen83, #16 Southern Jaguars 59
Pts: W. Berry – 24
Rebs: W. Berry – 13
Asts: C. Mullin – 6

Halftime Score: St. John's, 34–18
Special Events Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 6,928

Second Round Summary

CBS
Saturday, March 16
2:30 PM MST/4:30 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen68, #9 Arkansas Razorbacks 65
Special Events Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 9,226

Regional semifinal Summary

CBS
Friday, March 22
8:09 PM MST/10:09 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen86, #12 Kentucky Wildcats 70
Pts: C. Mullin – 30
Rebs: W. Berry – 7
Asts: C. Mullin – 7
Pts: K. Walker – 23
Rebs: K. Walker – 8
Asts: R. Harden – 7
Halftime Score: St. John's, 39–38
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,022
Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Willis McJunkin

Regional Final Summary

CBS
Sunday, March 24
2:03 PM MST/4:03 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen69, #3 NC State Wolfpack 60
Pts: C. Mullin – 25
Rebs: B. Wennington – 10
Asts: M. Moses, M. Jackson – 5
Pts: L. Charles – 15
Rebs: L. Charles, C. McQueen – 11
Asts: S. Webb – 9
Halftime Score: St. John's, 30–29
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,022
Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Willis McJunkin

Southeast Regional – Birmingham, Alabama

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Michigan59
16 Fairleigh Dickinson 55
1 Michigan 55
Dayton
8 Villanova59
8 Villanova51
9 Dayton 49
8 Villanova46
5 Maryland 43
5 Maryland69*
12 Miami (OH) 68
5 Maryland64
Dayton
13 Navy 59
4 LSU 55
13 Navy78
8 Villanova56
2 North Carolina 44
6 Purdue 58
11 Auburn59
11 Auburn66
South Bend
3 Kansas 64
3 Kansas49
14 Ohio 38
11 Auburn 56
2 North Carolina62
7 Notre Dame79
10 Oregon State 70
7 Notre Dame 58
South Bend
2 North Carolina60
2 North Carolina76
15 Middle Tennessee State 57

Regional Final Summary

CBS
Sunday, March 24
#8 Villanova Wildcats56, #2 North Carolina Tar Heels 44
Pts: H. Pressley – 15
Rebs: E. Pinckney – 7
Asts: E. Pinckney, H. Jensen – 3
Pts: B. Daugherty – 17
Rebs: B. Daugherty – 12
Asts: J. Wolf, K. Smith – 5
Halftime Score: North Carolina, 22–17
BJCC Coliseum – Birmingham, Alabama

Midwest Regional – Dallas, Texas

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Oklahoma96
16 North Carolina A&T 83
1 Oklahoma75
Tulsa
9 Illinois State 69
8 USC 55
9 Illinois State58
1 Oklahoma86*
5 Louisiana Tech 84
5 Louisiana Tech78
12 Pittsburgh 54
5 Louisiana Tech79
Tulsa
4 Ohio State 67
4 Ohio State75
13 Iowa State 64
1 Oklahoma 61
2 Memphis State# 63
6 Texas Tech 53
11 Boston College55
11 Boston College74
Houston
3 Duke 73
3 Duke75
14 Pepperdine 62
11 Boston College 57
2 Memphis State# 59
7 UAB70
10 Michigan State 68
7 UAB 66
Houston
2 Memphis State# 67*
2 Memphis State# 67
15 Penn 55

* - denotes overtime

Regional Final Summary

CBS
Saturday, March 23
#2 Memphis State Tigers63, #1 Oklahoma Sooners 61
Pts: D. Kennedy – 16
Rebs: W. Tisdale – 12
Asts: T. McCalister, A. Bowie – 5
Pts: K. Lee – 23
Rebs: K. Lee – 11
Asts: A. Turner – 12
Halftime Score: 33–33
Reunion Arena – Dallas, Texas

Final Four – Lexington, Kentucky

National semifinals National Championship Game
      
W1 St Johns 59
E1Georgetown77
W1 Georgetown 64
SE8Villanova66
SE8Villanova52
MW2 Memphis St. # 45

# - Memphis State was forced to vacate its NCAA tournament appearance after a massive gambling scandal and a criminal investigation into head coach Dana Kirk. Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Memphis removing the wins from its own record. [4] [5]

Game summaries

CBS
Saturday, March 30
#8 Villanova Wildcats52, #2 Memphis State Tigers 45
Pts: D. McClain – 19
Rebs: E. Pinckney – 9
Asts: M. Plansky, G. McLain, D. McClain – 2
Pts: A. Turner – 11
Rebs: Vincent Askew, W. Bedford, K. Lee – 7
Asts: V. Askew – 7
Halftime Score: 23–23
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky
CBS
Saturday, March, 30
#1 Georgetown Hoyas77, #1 St. John's Redmen 59
Pts: R. Williams – 20
Rebs: D. Wingate – 6
Asts: M. Jackson – 11
Pts: W. Glass – 13
Rebs: W. Berry – 6
Asts: M. Jackson – 5
Halftime Score: Georgetown, 32–28
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky

National Championship

CBS
Monday, April 1
#8 Villanova Wildcats66, #1 Georgetown Hoyas 64
Pts: D. McClain – 17
Rebs: E. Pinckney – 6
Asts: E. Pinckney – 5
Pts: D. Wingate – 16
Rebs: B. Martin, P. Ewing – 5
Asts: M. Jackson – 9
Halftime Score: Villanova, 29–28
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky
Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Don Rutledge

Announcers

Television

CBS Sports

ESPN and NCAA Productions

Radio

Regionals

CBS Radio

  • – East Regionals at Providence, Rhode Island
  • – Midwest Regionals at Dallas, Texas
  • – Southeast Regionals at Birmingham, Alabama
  • – West Regionals at Denver, Colorado

Final four

  • – at Lexington, Kentucky

Further reading

See also

References

  1. Sports Illustrated
  2. USA Today
  3. "Teams with the worst records to make the men's NCAA tournament | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  4. "TROUBLED TIMES AT MEMPHIS STATE". Sports Illustrated. June 24, 1985. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  5. Mauro, Patrick (August 22, 2009). "The NCAA's Toothless Punishment Of Memphis". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 15, 2024.