The 1985–86 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

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 ...

. The Hilltoppers were led by

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...

Coach of the Year

Clem Haskins Clem Smith Haskins (born July 11, 1943) is an American former college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach. In the fall of 1963, he and fellow star player Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the ...

, in his final year at the helm. WKU finished second in the conference and received a bid to the

1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 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 champion ...

. This team's roster featured three future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

players Tellis Frank,

Kannard Johnson Kannard Johnson (born June 24, 1965) is an American retired college and professional basketball player. He was selected by the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers with the 41st overall pick (second round) of the 1987 NBA draft. ...

, and Clarence Martin. Billy Gordon, Johnson, and Martin were selected to the All-Conference Team, while Ray Swogger made the SBC All-Tournament Team.

Schedule

1985-86 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 4 May 2020
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1986 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament The 1986 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held February 27–March 1 at the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Jacksonville upset hosts UAB in the championship game, 70–69, to win their second Sun ...

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Awards and honors

*Clem Haskins – Sun Belt co-Coach of the Year

References

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball seasons

Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's Long stubs with short prose {{Kentucky-sport-team-stub