The 1986 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. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Dallas, Texas. A total of 63 games were played.
Athletes and sports teams from North Carolina compete across an array of professional and amateur levels of competition, along with athletes who compete at the World and Olympic levels in their respective sport. Major league professional teams based in North Carolina include teams that compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), and National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The state is also home to NASCAR Cup Series races. At the collegiate and university level, there are several North Carolina schools in various conferences across an array of divisions. North Carolina also has many minor league baseball teams. There are also a number of indoor football, indoor soccer, minor league basketball, and minor league ice hockey teams based throughout the state.
The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies are the athletic teams that represent Oakland University (OU) in the Horizon League and Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The school fields 16 teams: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball.
Bart Lundy is an American men's college basketball coach, who currently holds the head coach position for the Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team. He was head coach at Queens University of Charlotte from 2013–2022, and previously an assistant coach at the University of North Texas from 2012–2013. Before going to North Texas, Lundy was the Director of Basketball Operations at Marquette University from 2009–2012. He is a native of Galax, Virginia.
The Charlotte 49ers are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
The Florida Atlantic Owls men's basketball team represents Florida Atlantic University and competes in the American Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball. Their home games are played on the Abessinio Court in the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on the school's Boca Raton, Florida campus. The Owls have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times, in 2002 while a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, 2023, and 2024. The Owls joined Conference USA (C-USA) in 2013 as part of the early-2010s NCAA conference realignment. After not winning a single NCAA Tournament game coming into 2023, the Owls qualified for their first Final Four in program history by defeating the Kansas State Wildcats 79–76. After the 2022–23 season, FAU left C-USA for the American Athletic Conference.
The Cal State Fullerton Titans are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton.
The James Madison Dukes men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school, a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, joined the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2022, after having been a member of the Colonial Athletic Association since that league's establishment in 1979. The Dukes are led by head coach Preston Spradlin. The Dukes play their home games at the on-campus Atlantic Union Bank Center which seats 8,500 fans and opened in November 2020. The Dukes have appeared six times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2024.
The Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Horizon League for the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. They play their home games at UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and are currently coached by Bart Lundy. The Panthers have made four NCAA Tournament tournament appearances, most recently in 2014.
The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing California State University, Bakersfield, located in Bakersfield, California. The Roadrunners compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Big West Conference.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The school's team currently competes in the ASUN Conference.
The Queens Royals are the athletic teams that represent Queens University of Charlotte, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, in NCAA intercollegiate sporting competitions. On July 1, 2022, the Royals began a four-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I as new members of the ASUN Conference. Before then, Queens had competed in the South Atlantic Conference for 20 of their varsity sports; the men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference and the men's volleyball team competed in the Independent Volleyball Association, a scheduling alliance among schools that are independents in that sport's National Collegiate division. Queens had been a member of the SAC since 2013, when it moved from Conference Carolinas.
The Grand Canyon Antelopes men's basketball team represents Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. They are a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). They are led by head coach Bryce Drew and play their home games at Global Credit Union Arena. They made the jump to NCAA Division I and joined the WAC on July 1, 2013.
The Troy Trojans are the sports teams of Troy University. They began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. Troy University's athletics nickname was the Red Wave until the early 1970s when the student body voted to change the name to Trojans.
The Queens Royals women's basketball team represents the Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The Royals joined the NCAA Division I ASUN Conference on July 1, 2022 after 9 seasons in the Division II South Atlantic Conference. Due to the NCAA's policy on reclassifying programs, the Royals will not be eligible to compete in the NCAA tournament or the WNIT until the 2026–27 season.
The 2022–23 Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by first-year head coach Bart Lundy, played their home games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena as members of the Horizon League. They also played select games, including the Cream City Classic multi-team event, at the on-campus Klotsche Center.
The 2022–23 Queens Royals men's basketball team represented the Queens University of Charlotte in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lions, led by first-year head coach Grant Leonard, played their home games at Curry Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, as first-year members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 18–15, 7–11 in ASUN play, to finish in a tie for ninth place. As the No. 9 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated Florida Gulf Coast before losing to Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals.
The 2023–24 Queens Royals men's basketball team represented the Queens University of Charlotte during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Royals, led by second-year head coach Grant Leonard, played their home games at Curry Arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina, as second-year members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 13–18, 7–9 in ASUN play, to finish in eighth place. As the No. 8 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated Florida Gulf Coast in the first round before losing to Stetson in the quarterfinals.
The 2023–24 Queens Royals women's basketball team represented the Queens University of Charlotte during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Royals, led by fourth-year head coach Jen Brown, played their home games at Curry Arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina, as second-year members of the ASUN Conference.
Grant Leonard is an American basketball coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Queens Royals men's basketball team.
