1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game

See also: 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The game was played on March 31, 1986, at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.^[1], and featured the East Regional Champion, #1-seeded Duke and the West Regional Champion, #2-seeded Louisville.^[1]

1986 NCAA tournament championship game

National championship game
Louisville Cardinals Duke Blue Devils Metro ACC (31–7) (37–2) 72 69 Head coach: Denny Crum Head coach: Mike Krzyzewski
AP: 7 Coaches: 3 AP: 1 Coaches: 1
1st half 2nd half Total Louisville Cardinals 34 38 72 Duke Blue Devils 37 32 69
Date	March 31, 1986
Venue	Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas
MVP	Pervis Ellison, Louisville
Favorite	Duke by 1½^[1]
Referees	Hank Nichols, Don Rutledge, Pete Pavia
Attendance	16,493
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Brent Musburger (play-by-play) Billy Packer (color)
← 1985 1987 →

This was the last national championship that was played in North Texas until 2014 National Title Game which was played in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas due to the NCAA's preference for domed stadiums.

Participating teams

Louisville

Main article: 1985–86 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

• West
  • Louisville (2) 93, Drexel (15) 73
  • Louisville 82, Bradley (7) 68
  • Louisville 94, North Carolina (3) 79
  • Louisville 84, Auburn (8) 76
• Final Four
  • Louisville 88, LSU (11) 77^[2]

Duke

Main article: 1985–86 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

 

Duke's Jay Bilas surrounded by Louisville players

• East
  • Duke (1) 85, Mississippi Valley State (16) 78
  • Duke 89, Old Dominion (8) 61
  • Duke 74, DePaul (12) 67
  • Duke 71, Navy (7) 50
• Final Four
  • Duke 71, Kansas (1) 67^[2]

Starting lineups

Louisville	Position		Duke
Milt Wagner 2	G		Tommy Amaker
Jeff Hall	G		† Johnny Dawkins 1
Herbert Brooks	F		David Henderson
Billy Thompson 1	F		Mark Alarie 1
Pervis Ellison	C		Jay Bilas
† 1986 Consensus First Team All-American
Players selected in the 1986 NBA draft  (number indicates round)

Source

Game summary

CBS

Monday, March 31 8:00 p.m. CST^[1]

Box score

#2 Louisville Cardinals 72, #1 Duke Blue Devils 69
Pts: Pervis Ellison – 25 Rebs: Herbert Crook – 12 Asts: Herbert Crook – 5		Pts: Johnny Dawkins – 24 Rebs: Mark Alarie – 6 Asts: Tommy Amaker – 7 Halftime Score: Duke, 37–34

Reunion Arena – Dallas, Texas Attendance: 16,493^[3] Referees: Hank Nichols, Don Rutledge, Pete Pavia^[3]

References

1. "NCAA Final At a Glance". Sports News. Miami Herald. March 31, 1986. p. 1C. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "NCAA tournament". Sports. San Francisco Examiner. March 31, 1986. p. F-8. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Barnhouse, Wendell (April 1, 1986). "Louisville leaves Duke down and out". Sports. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1C, 8C. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

•   Media related to 1986 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game at Wikimedia Commons
• Box score via Sports Reference