1985 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament


The 1985 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. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began on March 14, 1985, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Lexington, Kentucky. A total of 63 games were played.
Eighth-seed Villanova, coached by Rollie Massimino, won their first national title with a 66–64 victory in the final game over Georgetown, coached by John Thompson. Ed Pinckney of Villanova was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The game, often cited as "The Perfect Game", is widely considered among the greatest upsets in college basketball history, and is the second biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history. This Villanova team remains the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament. The Wildcats are also notable as the last Division I men's national champion to date to represent a school that did not sponsor varsity football at the time of its title. The game is also notable as the last played without a shot clock.
This year's Final Four saw an unprecedented and unmatched three teams from the same conference, with Big East members Villanova and Georgetown joined by St. John's. The only "interloper" in the Big East party was Memphis State, then of the Metro Conference.
This was also the first year that one of the regionals was named "Southeast", replacing "Mideast." This name was used until 1998, when the regional was renamed "South." This was also the last tournament until 2010 to feature two private schools in the title game. This tournament was also the last until 2012 to feature no teams in the Sweet 16 from the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones.
This tournament's East Region is the only one in NCAA Tournament history in which the higher-seeded team won every game.

Locations

First & Second Rounds

Regional Sites and Final Four

Lexington became the 21st host city, and Rupp Arena the 23rd host venue, for the Final Four. Lexington is the smallest metropolitan area to host a Final Four, and due to the use of domed football stadiums, it is unlikely to host a Final Four again despite the size of Rupp Arena. The 1985 tournament was the last time an off-campus arena whose primary tenant was a college team was used for a tournament. This tournament also marks the last time a domed stadium was not used for any tournament games; before 1985, the four previous tournaments and the 1971 tournament were the only tournaments to include them. The other implication of this is that it was the only tournament between 1984 and 1993 to not feature an NFL stadium. Denver was the only new city or venue host games in 1985. At the time, the city did not host a NCAA Division I institution, making it just one of a handful of host cities all-time to do so. 1985 would be the last time the Providence Civic Center would host the regional rounds; all subsequent tournaments would be early rounds. The tournament would also mark the last time the University of Tulsa's Mabee Center would host games; the tournament would not return to the city until 2011, when the BOK Center hosted.

Teams

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – Providence, Rhode Island

Regional Final Summary

West Regional – Denver, Colorado

First Round Summary

Second Round Summary

Regional Semifinal Summary

Regional Final Summary

Southeast Regional – Birmingham, Alabama

Regional Final Summary

Midwest Regional – Dallas, Texas

Regional Final Summary

Final Four – Lexington, Kentucky

Game Summaries

National Championship

Announcers

Television

ESPN and NCAA Productions

Regionals