1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Season headlinesThe Big South Conference began conference play. It had been founded in 1983, but its members had played as Division I independents until this season.The ECAC South renamed itself the Colonial Athletic Association. It renamed itself the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.The Midwestern City Conference renamed itself the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. It renamed itself the Horizon League in 2001.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 Darron Brittman of Chicago State, with 4.96 per game.LSU, seeded 11th in the 1986 NCAA tournament's Southeast Region, became the first team with a double-digit seed to advance to the Final Four.Major rule changesBeginning in 1985–86, the following rules changes were implemented: The 45-second shot clock was introduced.With the shot clock's introduction, the so-called "lack of action" count (when the offense fails to attempt a shot in a five-second timeframe) was abolished.If a shooter was fouled intentionally and the shot was missed, the penalty was two