1985–86 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team

The 1985–86 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1985–86 women's college basketball season. Coached by Pat Summitt, the Lady Volunteers finished 24–10 and reached the program's third NCAA Final Four. The Lady Vols started the season ranked No. 9 and played their home games at Stokely Athletic Center.

1985–86 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
NCAA tournament, Final Four
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 15
Record	24–10 (6–3 SEC)
Head coach	Pat Summitt (12th season)
Assistant coaches	Mickie DeMoss Holly Warlick
Home arena	Stokely Athletic Center
Seasons ← 1984–85 1986–87 →

1985–86 SEC women's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Georgia †	9	–	0		1.000			30	–	2		.938
No. 9 LSU	6	–	3		.667			27	–	6		.818
No. 7 Auburn	6	–	3		.667			24	–	6		.800
No. 11 Ole Miss	6	–	3		.667			24	–	8		.750
No. 15 Tennessee	5	–	4		.556			24	–	10		.706
Kentucky	4	–	5		.444			18	–	11		.621
No. 20 Vanderbilt	4	–	5		.444			22	–	9		.710
Alabama	3	–	6		.333			20	–	9		.690
Florida	2	–	7		.222			10	–	18		.357
Mississippi State	0	–	9		.000			8	–	20		.286
† 1986 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Roster

1985–86 Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown G 10 Pam Marr 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sr   Winter Park, Florida G 15 Kristie Snyder 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Sr   Knoxville, Tennessee G 23 Shelley Sexton 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) Jr   Lake City, Tennessee F 30 Bridgette Gordon 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr DeLand DeLand, Florida F 34 Lisa Webb 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr   Milledgeville, Georgia F 42 Valerie Freeman 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Jr   Milledgeville, Georgia C 44 Cheryl Littlejohn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr   Gastonia, North Carolina F 53 Amy Gamble 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr   Glen Dale, West Virginia	Head coach Pat Summitt Assistant coach(es) Mickie DeMoss Holly Warlick Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

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Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Nov 24, 1985*	No. 9	East Carolina	W 74–56	1–0	Stokely Athletic Center  Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 27, 1985*	No. 9	Illinois	W 71–57	2–0	Stokely Athletic Center  Knoxville, Tennessee
Dec 1, 1985*	No. 9	No. 1 Texas	L 52–74	2–1	Stokely Athletic Center (3,031) Knoxville, Tennessee
Dec 13, 1985*	No. 11	at No. 4 USC	L 77–85	5–2	L.A. Sports Arena  Los Angeles, California
Feb 22, 1986	No. 14	Mississippi State	W 72–51	20–9 (5–4)	Stokely Athletic Center  Knoxville, Tennessee
Feb 24, 1986*	No. 14	Memphis State	W 94–79	20–9	Stokely Athletic Center  Knoxville, Tennessee
SEC tournament
Mar 1, 1986*	No. 14	vs. No. 12 Ole Miss Quarterfinals	L 78–83	21–9	Stegeman Coliseum  Athens, Georgia
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 1986*	(4 ME) No. 15	(5 ME) Iowa Second round	W 73–68	22–9	Stokeley Athletic Center  Knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 21, 1986*	(4 ME) No. 15	(1 ME) No. 2 Georgia Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen	W 85–82	23–9	Carver–Hawkeye Arena  Iowa City, Iowa
Mar 23, 1986*	(4 ME) No. 15	(2 ME) No. 9 LSU Regional Final – Elite Eight	W 67–65	24–9	Carver–Hawkeye Arena  Iowa City, Iowa
Mar 28, 1986*	(4 ME) No. 15	vs. (1 W) No. 3 USC National Semifinal – Final Four	L 59–83[2]	24–10	Rupp Arena  Lexington, Kentucky
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast.

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Rankings

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

References

1. "1985-86 Tennessee Volunteers Women's Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
2. "USC Women Win, and It's Without a Fight". The Los Angeles Times. March 29, 1986. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
3. "1985-86 Women's Basketball Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved April 24, 2024.