1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game

1986 NCAA tournament championship game
National championship game
72	69
AP: 7; Coaches: 3;	AP: 1; Coaches: 1;
Date	March 31, 1986
Venue	Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas
MVP	Pervis Ellison, Louisville
Favorite	Duke by 1½
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 →

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 1986 National Title Game was played on March 31, 1986, at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.^[1] The 1986 National Title Game was played between the 1986 East Regional Champions, Duke and the 1986 West Regional Champions, Louisville.^[1]

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

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]

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]

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

CBS

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

#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]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "NCAA Final At a Glance". Sports News. Miami Herald. March 31, 1986. p. 1C. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "NCAA tournament". Sports. San Francisco Examiner. March 31, 1986. p. F-8. Retrieved October 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b 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.