The 1985–86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

during 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 ...

, Louisville's 72nd season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Metro Conference and were coached by

Denny Crum Denzel Edwin "Denny" Crum (born March 2, 1937) is an American former men's college basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2001, compiling a record. He guided the Cardinals to two NCAA championships ( 1980, 1986) and six Fin ...

. The team played home games at

Freedom Hall Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, previously serving as the home ...

. The team compiled a 32–7 record and brought Louisville basketball their second NCAA national championship when they defeated

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, 72–69.

Roster

Schedule and results

, - !colspan=9 style=, Regular Season , - !colspan=9 style=, Metro Conference tournament , - !colspan=9 style=, NCAA Tournament

NCAA basketball tournament

West region

Final Four

Awards and honors

* Billy Thompson, first team All-

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members did n ...

* Billy Thompson, AP honorable mention All-American * Billy Thompson, NCAA All-Tournament team * Billy Thompson, NCAA All-West regional *

Milt Wagner Milton Wagner Jr. (born February 20, 1963) is an American basketball coach. After playing college basketball at Louisville, Wagner played in the NBA. He served as assistant coach for the UTEP Miners and the Auburn Tigers. Biography Wagner played ...

, first team All-Metro Conference * Milt Wagner. AP honorable mention All-American *

Pervis Ellison Pervis Ellison (born April 3, 1967) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nicknamed "Never Nervous Pervis" for his clutch play with the University of Louisville, after leading Louisville to a national championship, El ...

, Final Four Most Outstanding Player * Pervis Ellison, NCAA All-West regional * Pervis Ellison, Metro Conference Freshman of the Year * Pervis Ellison, second team All-Metro Conference *

Herbert Crook Herbert Crook (born July 26, 1965) is a retired American basketball player. He was a standout at the University of Louisville. He was a starter on the Cardinals' 1986 national championship team and was Metro Conference player of the year as a ...

, NCAA All-West regional * Tony Kimbro, Metro Conference All-Freshman team

Team players drafted into the NBA

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1985-86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

Louisville Cardinals men's basketball seasons NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship seasons NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 1985-86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 1985-86