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

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

during the

1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season Season headlines * The Big South Conference began conference play. It had been founded in 1983, but its members had played as NCAA Division I independent schools, Division I independents until this season. * The ECAC South renamed itself the C ...

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

Denny Crum Denzel Edwin Crum (March 2, 1937 – May 9, 2023) was an American 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 Fi ...

. 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 Kentucky State Fair Board. 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 Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

, 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

Rankings

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 di ...

* Billy Thompson, AP honorable mention All-American * Billy Thompson, NCAA All-Tournament team * Billy Thompson, NCAA All-West regional * Milt Wagner, first team All-Metro Conference * Milt Wagner. AP honorable mention All-American * Pervis Ellison, 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, 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 most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 1985-86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 1985-86 1980s in Louisville, Kentucky