1985–86 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team

The 1985–86 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represented Montana State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Stu Starner, the Bobcats finished in 6th place after the Big Sky regular season. The team rallied and made a run to win the Big Sky tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Playing as No. 16 seed in the West region, Montana State pushed No. 1 seed St. John's before falling, 83–74, in the opening round.^[1]

1985–86 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball
Big Sky tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First round
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	14–17 (6–8 Big Sky)
Head coach	Stu Starner (3rd season)
Home arena	Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
Seasons ← 1984–85 1986–87 →

1985–86 Big Sky Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Northern Arizona	9	–	5		.643			19	–	10		.655
Montana	9	–	5		.643			21	–	11		.656
Idaho State	8	–	6		.571			15	–	12		.556
Weber State	7	–	7		.500			18	–	11		.621
Nevada	7	–	7		.500			13	–	15		.464
Montana State †	6	–	8		.429			14	–	17		.452
Boise State	6	–	8		.429			12	–	16		.429
Idaho	4	–	10		.286			11	–	18		.379
† 1986 Big Sky tournament winner

Roster

1985–86 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G Tony Hampton 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) — Jr   F Kral Ferch 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) — Jr   F 35 Tom Domako 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Detroit, Michigan	Head coach Rich Juarez Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Nov 22, 1985*		at No. 14 LSU	L 59–84	0–1	LSU Assembly Center  Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Nov 25, 1985*		at Houston Baptist	L 72–74	0–2	Sharp Gymnasium  Houston, Texas
Dec 2, 1985*		Pacific	W 82–72	1–2	Worthington Arena  Havre, Montana
Dec 7, 1985*		California	L 62–69	1–3	Worthington Arena  Havre, Montana
Dec 14, 1985*		Nebraska	L 59–76	1–4	Worthington Arena  Havre, Montana
Mar 1, 1986		Montana	W 88–76	11–16 (6–8)	Worthington Arena  Havre, Montana
Big Sky tournament
Mar 7, 1986*	(6)	at (3) Nevada Quarterfinals	W 81–80	12–16	Lawlor Events Center  Reno, Nevada
Mar 8, 1986*	(6)	vs. (1) Northern Arizona Semifinals	W 80–74	13–16	Lawlor Events Center  Reno, Nevada
Mar 9, 1986*	(6)	vs. (2) Montana Championship	W 82–77	14–16	Lawlor Events Center  Reno, Nevada
NCAA Tournament
Mar 14, 1986*	(16 W)	vs. (1 W) No. 4 St. John's First Round	L 74–83	14–17	Long Beach Arena  Long Beach, California
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West.

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