Who did Villanova beat in the 1985 NCAA Final to win the national championship? Wildcats' NCAA tournament run explored

The Villanova Wildcats team of the 1984–85 season remains one of the most revered in the history of the game.

Under the able guidance of coach Rollie Massimino, the Wildcats stunned the basketball world, winning the national championship as an 8-seeded team. Many know this story but are not aware of the details, like who the Wildcats beat in the 1985 national championship game.

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Who did Villanova beat in the 1985 NCAA final to win the national championship?

Villanova beat the Georgetown Hoyas in the final of the 1985 NCAA tournament. The 1985 national championship game was on Apr. 1, 1985, at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The game featured the 8-seed Wildcats against the top-seeded Georgetown Hoyas, who were also the defending champions.

Massimino’s men were the underdogs going into the tournament and had lost twice to the Hoyas during the regular season, but the Wildcats made a surprise run to the final. Their run started with a defeat of Dayton before ending the championship hopes of top-seeded Michigan and Maryland.

The Wildcats eliminated second-seeded North Carolina in the Elite Eight, winning the Southeast Regional and qualifying for the Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky. They met Memphis State in the national semifinal, ending the Tigers’ run to proceed to the national championship game. The Wildcats went on to face 10-favorite Georgetown, which boasted names like Patrick Ewing.

Having twice beaten the Wildcats that season, it was expected to be a walk in the park for Georgetown. The Wildcats’ run was a purely lucky run, and it was time that their luck would run out. It was not to be, though, as the Wildcats, inspired by Massimino’s fiery pre-game speech, did the impossible and beat Georgetown.

Massimino demanded a perfect game from his team, and it delivered no less. Massimino’s men went 22-of-28, recording an incredible 78.6% conversion rate, and missing only one basket in the entire second half.

Despite the Hoyas’ 55% conversion rate in 53 attempts, they were no match for the tenacity of the Wildcats, who emerged winners by a narrow 66-64 scoreline.

The Wildcats’ legacy as the only 8-seed to win the national championship still stands, 39 years later. They are the lowest overall seed to win the national championship and hold the overall team shooting percentage record for a single game in the NCAA tournament.