1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Season headlines

 * Blocked shots and steals both became official statistics tracked by the NCAA. David Robinson of Navy became the first national blocked shot champion, averaging 5.91 per game for the season. The first steals champion was Darron Brittman of Chicago State, with 4.96 per game.
 * LSU, seeded 11th in the 1986 NCAA tournament's Southeast Region, became the first team with a double-digit seed to advance to the Final Four.

Major rule changes
Beginning in 1985–86, the following rules changes were implemented:
 * The 45 second shot clock was introduced.
 * With the shot clock's introduction, the so-called "lack of action" count (when the offense fails to attempt a shot in a five-second timeframe) was abolished.
 * If a shooter was fouled intentionally and the shot was missed, the penalty was two shots and possession of the ball out of bounds to the team who was fouled.
 * Conferences were permitted to experiment with a three-point field goal, provided the distance was set to at least 19 feet, 9 inches from the center of the basket.

Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.

NIT Semifinals and Final
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City


 * Third Place - Louisiana Tech 67, Florida 62

Major player of the year awards

 * Wooden Award: Walter Berry, St. John's
 * Naismith Award: Johnny Dawkins, Duke
 * Associated Press Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's
 * UPI Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's
 * NABC Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's
 * Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Walter Berry, St. John's
 * Adolph Rupp Trophy: Walter Berry, St. John's
 * Sporting News Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's

Major coach of the year awards

 * Associated Press Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Kentucky
 * UPI Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
 * Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Dick Versace, Bradley
 * NABC Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Kentucky
 * CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
 * Sporting News Coach of the Year: Denny Crum, Louisville

Other major awards

 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jim Les, Bradley
 * Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Harold Pressley, Villanova
 * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Walter Berry, St. John's

Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.