1985–86 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

The 1985–86 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada Las Vegas in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1985–86 season under head coach Jerry Tarkanian. The team played its home games in the Thomas & Mack Center, and was a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), now known as the Big West Conference. The Rebels won the regular season conference and PCAA tournament titles. The team finished with a record of 33–5 (16–2 PCAA) and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.

1985–86 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
PCAA tournament champions PCAA regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 11
Record	33–5 (16–2 PCAA)
Head coach	Jerry Tarkanian (13th season)
Assistant coaches	Tim Grgurich Mark Warkentien Cleveland Edwards
Home arena	Thomas & Mack Center
Seasons ← 1984–85 1986–87 →

1985–86 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 11 UNLV †	16	–	2		.889			33	–	5		.868
UC Irvine	12	–	6		.667			17	–	13		.567
New Mexico State	10	–	8		.556			18	–	12		.600
San Jose State	9	–	9		.500			16	–	12		.571
Pacific	9	–	9		.500			17	–	14		.548
Cal State Fullerton	8	–	10		.444			16	–	16		.500
Fresno State	8	–	10		.444			15	–	15		.500
Utah State	8	–	10		.444			12	–	16		.429
UC Santa Barbara	7	–	11		.389			12	–	15		.444
Long Beach State	3	–	15		.167			7	–	22		.241
† 1986 PCAA tournament winner

Roster

1985–86 UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G/F 11 Anthony Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Washington, D.C. G 13 Freddie Banks 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Jr Las Vegas, Nevada F 30 Leon Symanski 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Orange, California G 32 Gary Graham 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Baltimore, Maryland G/F 33 Eldridge Hudson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Carson, California F/C 35 Armon Gilliam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Head coach Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State) Assistant coach(es) Tim Grgurich (Pittsburgh) Mark Warkentien (Cal State Fullerton) Ralph Readout (Ohio) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
Nov 22, 1985*	No. 18	Nevada	W 89–62	1–0	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Nov 25, 1985*		South Carolina	W 73–55	2–0	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Nov 29, 1985*	No. 16	vs. Villanova Great Alaska Shootout	W 61–49	3–0	Sullivan Arena  Anchorage, Alaska
Nov 30, 1985*	No. 16	vs. Arizona Great Alaska Shootout	W 60–59	4–0	Sullivan Arena  Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 1, 1985*	No. 16	vs. No. 1 North Carolina Great Alaska Shootout	L 60–65	4–1	Sullivan Arena  Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 7, 1985*	No. 14	at Maryland	W 64–63 OT	5–1	Cole Fieldhouse  College Park, Maryland
Dec 14, 1985*		at Nevada	W 74–52	6–1	Lawlor Events Center  Reno, Nevada
Dec 20, 1985*		San Diego State	W 105–85	7–1	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Dec 21, 1985*		Iona	W 82–63	8–1	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Dec 24, 1985*		vs. Stanford Miller Lite Rebel Roundup	W 83–65	9–1	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Dec 25, 1985*		vs. NC State Miller Lite Rebel Roundup	L 73–80	9–2	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Dec 27, 1985*	No. 12	Ball State Budweiser Holiday Classic	W 88–71	10–2	Thomas & Mack Center  Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 28, 1985*	No. 12	No. 14 UAB Budweiser Holiday Classic	W 73–72	11–2	Thomas & Mack Center (17,980) Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb 7, 1986*	No. 9	No. 3 Memphis State	W 67–66	23–2	Thomas & Mack Center  Paradise, Nevada
Mar 1, 1986*	No. 9	at Long Beach State	W 94–76	28–4	The Gold Mine  Long Beach, California
PCAA tournament
Mar 6, 1986*	No. 13	vs. Fresno State Quarterfinals	W 68–49	29–4	The Forum  Inglewood, California
Mar 7, 1986*	No. 13	vs. Cal State Fullerton Semifinals	W 75–65	30–4	The Forum  Inglewood, California
Mar 8, 1986*	No. 13	vs. New Mexico State Championship game	W 75–55	31–4	The Forum  Inglewood, California
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1986*	(4 W) No. 11	vs. (13 W) Northeast Louisiana First round	W 74–51	32–4	Long Beach Arena  Long Beach, California
Mar 16, 1986*	(4 W) No. 11	vs. (5 W) Maryland Second round	W 70–64[1]	33–4	Long Beach Arena  Long Beach, California
Mar 20, 1986*	(4 W) No. 11	vs. (8 W) Auburn West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen	L 63–70	33–5	The Summit  Houston, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West.

Source:^[2][3]

Rankings

Main article: 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	18	16	14	13	12	12	13	12	10	10	10	9	6	11	9	13	11
Coaches	18	18^	9	10	10	12	13	12	10	10	11	9	4	11	7	11	10

^[4]

Awards and honors

• Anthony Jones – co–PCAA Player of the Year

See also

• UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
• 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

References

1. "UNLV Survives Rally by Maryland". The New York Times. March 17, 1986. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
2. "1985-86 UNLV Rebels Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
3. "2020-21 UNLV Men's Basketball Media Guide". UNLV Athletics. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
4. • ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 910–911. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.