The 1985–86 Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball team represented

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

in the

1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season Season headlines * Blocked shots and steals both became official statistics tracked by the NCAA. David Robinson of Navy became the first national blocked shot champion, averaging 5.91 per game for the season. The first steals champion was Darr ...

. The team was led by third-year head coach

Kevin Mackey Kevin Mackey (born August 21, 1946) is a former head coach of men's basketball at Cleveland State University. His CSU Vikings upset the Indiana Hoosiers and the Saint Joseph's Hawks to make the Sweet 16 in the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketbal ...

. In 1984–85, the Vikings finished 21–8 (11–3 in the AMCU-8). It was the 55th season of Cleveland State basketball.

Regular season

Cleveland State finished the regular season with a 24–3 record and 13–1 in the AMCU-8. That record earned them a #1 seed in the AMCU-8 postseason tournament. They defeated Northern Iowa, Illinois-Chicago, and Eastern Illinois to win the AMCU-8 tournament, however the AMCU-8 would not receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament until the 1986-87 season. Nonetheless, Cleveland State received an at large invitation to the NCAA Tournament based on their overall resume. Cleveland State also won 14 games in a row, a school record that still stands today. The streak started on February 27 at Kent State and lasted all the way until they lost to Navy in the Sweet Sixteen on March 21. In the final AP Top 20 poll of the season Cleveland State received 4 points.

Postseason

Cleveland State earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. They were the #14 seed. They defeated Indiana, and St. Joseph, before losing to Navy 71–70. Cleveland State became the first #14 seed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen. The next season the Vikings started the season ranked 20th in the AP Poll. There was no post NCAA Tournament coaches poll in 1986. Cleveland State was ranked 17th in the final USA Today poll. Cleveland State also set a school record for wins in a season at 29, a record that also still stands today. Clinton Smith was named Cleveland States Varsity "C" Club Player of the Year. Ken McFadden was named an All-American fifth team by Basketball Weekly. Clinton Ransey was also a Sporting News honorable mention All-American. Clinton Ransey and Clinton Smith were each named to the AMCU-8 first team. Ken McFadden was named to the AMCU-8 all-newcomer team. Keven Mackey was named the AMCU-8 coach of the year for the 2nd year in a row. Finally Ken McFadden and Clinton Smith were named to the AMCU-8 all-tournament team.

Roster

Statistics

* Points: Clinton Ransey 535 * PPG: Clinton Smith 16.2 * Rebounds: Eric Mudd 288 * RPG: Eric Mudd 9.6 * Field Goals: Clinton Smith 226 * FG%: Clinton Smith .565 * Assists: Eddie Bryant 146 * APG: Eddie Bryant 4.4 * Blocks: Bob Crawford 25 * BPG: Bob Crawford 0.8 * Steals: Clinton Ransey 67 * SPG: Clint Ransey 2.03 * Free Throws: Ken McFadden 99 * FT%: Ken McFadden .797

AMCU-8 Conference standings

Schedule

Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1985-86 Cleveland State Vikings Men's Basketball Team Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball seasons

Cleveland State Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...