1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1Indiana Hoosiers[1]
NCAA Tournament1980
Tournament datesMarch 6 – 24, 1980
National ChampionshipMarket Square Arena
Indianapolis, Indiana
NCAA ChampionsLouisville Cardinals
Helms National ChampionsLouisville Cardinals
Other championsVirginia Cavaliers (NIT)
Player of the Year
(Naismith, Wooden)
Player of the Year
(Helms)		Darrell Griffith, Louisville Cardinals

The 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 17, 1979, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1980 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 24, 1980, at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. The Louisville Cardinals won their first NCAA national championship with a 59–54 victory over the UCLA Bruins.

Rule changes

  • Officials were ordered to more strictly enforce foul rules already on the books, including bench decorum, hand-checking and charging fouls.
  • Any mistaken attempt to call a time-out after a team runs out of time-outs results in a technical foul and two free throws for the opposing team. The rule would figure prominently in the outcome of the 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Season headlines

  • ESPN launched on September 7, 1979, as the first all-sports television network and began televising college basketball in November.[2] It took advantage of college basketball's rapidly growing popularity to begin a highly profitable relationship with the NCAA which greatly expanded television coverage of college basketball in the United States.[2]
  • The basketball-centered original Big East Conference began play.[2] Working closely with ESPN, it rapidly developed a reputation as a powerhouse of college basketball and a dominating force in the sport.[2]
  • The ECAC North Conference began play, with 10 original members. It was renamed the North Atlantic Conference in 1988 and the America East Conference in 1996.
  • The ECAC South Conference was founded, consisting of schools that participated in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Division I ECAC South tournaments for independents. The ECAC South did not play as a conference until the 1981–82 season; in the meantime, its members continued compete as independents during the regular season and seek a bid to the NCAA tournament via the ECAC's regional tournament. The conference was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 and the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.
  • The Midwestern City Conference began play, with six original members. It was renamed the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985 and the Horizon League in 2001.
  • The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 24 to 32 teams.
  • The NCAA tournament expanded from 40 to 48 teams.[3] For the first time, more than two teams from each conference could be selected for the tournament.[4] The NCAA also instituted the "round-robin rule," requiring a conference to play either a single-round-robin regular-season format and a conference tournament or a double-round-robin regular-season format to be eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The expanded access of conference members to tournament bids combined with the "round-robin rule" made it difficult for Division I independents — most of which were located in the Northeastern United States — to get a tournament bid, greatly accelerating the decline in the number of independents, a decline which had begun in the 1974–75 season when the NCAA allowed more than one team per conference into the tournament for the first time. The Big East Conference formed as a result of the new tournament access requirements, and additional conferences would form by 1981.[5]
  • ESPN televised 23 games of the 1980 NCAA tournament, becoming the first television network to broadcast the early rounds of an NCAA Tournament.[3]
  • For the first time, none of the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament advanced to the Final Four.[4]
  • Louisville's "doctors of dunk" brought Denny Crum his first NCAA title with a 59–54 win over surprise finalist UCLA and coach Larry Brown. Wooden Award winner Darrell Griffith was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
  • The first year of the Ralph Sampson era ended with a Virginia Cavaliers National Invitation Tournament championship – a 58–55 win over Minnesota. Sampson, a 7-foot-4-inch (224 cm) freshman center, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

The top 20 from the AP Poll and UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[6]

'Associated Press'
Ranking Team
1 Indiana (28)
2 Kentucky (5)
3 Duke (18)
4 Ohio State (7)
5 Notre Dame (1)
6 North Carolina
7 Louisiana State
8 UCLA
9 DePaul
10 Louisville
11 Purdue
12 Syracuse
13 Virginia
14 Texas A&M
15 Brigham Young
16 St. John's
17 Oregon State
18 Marquette
19 Georgetown
20 Kansas
UPI Coaches
Ranking Team
1 Indiana
2 Ohio State
3 Notre Dame
4 North Carolina
5 Kentucky
6 Duke
7 UCLA
8 Louisiana State
9 DePaul
Virginia
11 Purdue
12 Syracuse
13 Texas A&M
14 Louisville
15 St. John's
16 Oregon State
17 Brigham Young
18 Iowa
19 Marquette
20 UNLV

Conference membership changes

School Former conference New conference
Boston College Eagles Division I independent Big East Conference
Boston University Terriers Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Butler Bulldogs Division I independent Midwestern City Conference
Canisius Golden Griffins Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Colgate Raiders Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Connecticut Huskies Division I independent Big East Conference
Denver Pioneers Division I independent NAIA independent
East Tennessee State Buccaneers Division I independent Southern Conference
Evansville Purple Aces Division I independent Midwestern City Conference
Florida A&M Rattlers SIAC (D-II) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Georgetown Hoyas Division I independent Big East Conference
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Division I independent Atlantic Coast Conference
Gonzaga Bulldogs Big Sky Conference West Coast Athletic Conference
Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors Division I independent Western Athletic Conference
Holy Cross Crusaders Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Loyola Chicago Ramblers Division I independent Midwestern City Conference
Maine Black Bears Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Nevada Wolf Pack West Coast Athletic Conference Big Sky Conference
New Hampshire Wildcats Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Niagara Purple Eagles Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Northeastern Huskies Division I independent ECAC North Conference
Oklahoma City Chiefs Trans America Athletic Conference Midwestern City Conference
Oral Roberts Titans Division I independent Midwestern City Conference
Penn State Nittany Lions Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Division I independent
Providence Friars Division I independent Big East Conference
Rhode Island Rams Division I independent ECAC North Conference
St. Bonaventure Brown Indians Division I independent Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8)
St. John's Redmen Division I independent Big East Conference
San Diego Toreros Division II independent West Coast Athletic Conference
Seton Hall Pirates Division I independent Big East Conference
Syracuse Orangemen Division I independent Big East Conference
Towson State Tigers Division II independent Division I independent
UAB Blazers Division I independent Sun Belt Conference
Vermont Catamounts Division I independent ECAC North Conference
VCU Rams Division I independent Sun Belt Conference
Xavier Musketeers Division I independent Midwestern City Conference

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference — with members Delaware State, Howard, North Carolina A&T, and South Carolina State — became a Division I conference this season. Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State, and North Carolina Central opted not to reclassify with the conference and remained in Division II.

Conference Regular
season winner[7] 		Conference
player of the year 		Conference
tournament 		Tournament
venue (City) 		Tournament
winner
Atlantic Coast Conference Maryland Albert King, Maryland[8] 1980 ACC men's basketball tournament Greensboro Coliseum
(Greensboro, North Carolina)		 Duke
Big East Conference Georgetown, St. John's & Syracuse John Duren, Georgetown[9] 1980 Big East men's basketball tournament Providence Civic Center
(Providence, Rhode Island)		 Georgetown
Big Eight Conference Missouri Rolando Blackman, Kansas State[10] 1980 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament Kemper Arena
(Kansas City, Missouri)
(Semifinals and Finals)		 Kansas State
Big Sky Conference Weber State Don Newman, Idaho[11] 1980 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament Dee Events Center
(Ogden, Utah)		 Weber State
Big Ten Conference Indiana None Selected No Tournament
East Coast Conference St. Joseph's (East)
Lafayette (West)		 Michael Brooks, La Salle 1980 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament The Palestra
(Philadelphia)		 La Salle
Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Villanova, Duquesne & Rutgers Earl Belcher, St. Bonaventure[12] 1980 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament Civic Arena
(Pittsburgh)		 Villanova
Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) 		Division I ECAC members
played as independents
during the regular season
(see note) 		1980 ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament Nassau Coliseum
(Uniondale, New York) 		Iona
1980 ECAC South men's basketball tournament Hampton Coliseum
(Hampton, Virginia) 		Old Dominion
ECAC North Boston University & Northeastern Rufus Harris, Maine &
Ron Perry, Holy Cross[13]		 1980 ECAC North men's basketball tournament Hart Center
(Worcester, Massachusetts)		 Holy Cross
Ivy League Penn Peter Moss, Brown[14] No Tournament
Metro Conference Louisville Darrell Griffith, Louisville 1980 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament Freedom Hall
(Louisville, Kentucky)		 Louisville
Mid-American Conference Toledo Jim Swaney, Toledo[15] 1980 MAC men's basketball tournament Crisler Arena
(Ann Arbor, Michigan)		 Toledo
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Howard James Ratiff, Howard 1980 MEAC men's basketball tournament Greensboro Coliseum
(Greensboro, North Carolina)		 Howard
Midwestern City Conference Loyola (IL) Calvin Garrett, Oral Roberts[16] 1980 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament Roberts Municipal Stadium
(Evansville, Indiana)		 Oral Roberts
Missouri Valley Conference Bradley Lewis Lloyd, Drake[17] 1980 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Robertson Memorial Field House
(Peoria, Illinois)		 Bradley
Ohio Valley Conference Murray State & Western Kentucky Gary Hooker, Murray State[18] 1980 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament E. A. Diddle Arena
(Bowling Green, Kentucky)		 Western Kentucky
Pacific-10 Conference Oregon State Don Collins, Washington State[19] No Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association Utah State Dean Hunger, Utah State[20] 1980 PCAA men's basketball tournament Anaheim Convention Center
(Anaheim, California)		 San Jose State
Southeastern Conference Kentucky Kyle Macy, Kentucky[21] 1980 SEC men's basketball tournament Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
(Birmingham, Alabama)		 LSU
Southern Conference Furman Jonathan Moore, Furman[22] 1980 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Roanoke Civic Center
(Roanoke, Virginia)		 Furman
Southland Conference Lamar Andrew Toney, Southwestern Louisiana[23] No Tournament
Southwest Conference Texas A&M Terry Teagle, Baylor[24] 1980 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament HemisFair Arena
(San Antonio, Texas)		 Texas A&M
Southwestern Athletic Conference Alcorn State Larry Smith, Alcorn State[25] 1980 SWAC men's basketball tournament Alcorn State
Sun Belt Conference South Alabama James Ray, Jacksonville[26] 1980 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament Charlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals)		 VCU
Trans America Athletic Conference Northeast Louisiana George Lett, Centenary[27] 1980 TAAC men's basketball tournament Ewing Coliseum
(Monroe, Louisiana)		 Centenary
West Coast Athletic Conference St. Mary's &
San Francisco		 Kurt Rambis, Santa Clara[28] No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference BYU None Selected No Tournament

Note: From 1975 to 1981, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1980 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1980 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did. The ECAC North was a separate, conventional conference.[29]

Conference standings

1979–80 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Maryland 11 – 3   .786 24 – 7   .774
No. 15 North Carolina 9 – 5   .643 21 – 8   .724
NC State 9 – 5   .643 20 – 8   .714
Clemson 8 – 6   .571 23 – 9   .719
Virginia 7 – 7   .500 24 – 10   .706
No. 14 Duke † 7 – 7   .500 24 – 9   .727
Wake Forest 4 – 10   .286 13 – 14   .481
Georgia Tech 1 – 13   .071 8 – 18   .308
† 1980 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[30]
1979–80 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 Syracuse 5 – 1   .833 26 – 4   .867
No. 13 St. John's 5 – 1   .833 24 – 5   .828
No. 11 Georgetown† 5 – 1   .833 26 – 6   .813
Connecticut 3 – 3   .500 20 – 9   .690
Boston College 2 – 4   .333 19 – 10   .655
Seton Hall 1 – 5   .167 14 – 13   .519
Providence 0 – 6   .000 11 – 16   .407
† 1980 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[31]
1979–80 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 16 Missouri 11 – 3   .786 25 – 6   .806
Kansas State † 8 – 6   .571 22 – 9   .710
Nebraska 8 – 6   .571 18 – 13   .581
Kansas 7 – 7   .500 15 – 14   .517
Colorado 7 – 7   .500 17 – 10   .630
Oklahoma 6 – 8   .429 15 – 12   .556
Iowa State 5 – 9   .357 11 – 16   .407
Oklahoma State 4 – 10   .286 10 – 17   .370
† 1980 Big Eight tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[32]
1979–80 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 17 Weber State † 13 – 1   .929 26 – 3   .897
Idaho 9 – 5   .643 17 – 10   .630
Montana 8 – 6   .571 17 – 11   .607
Montana State 7 – 7   .500 14 – 12   .538
Nevada 5 – 9   .357 10 – 19   .345
Idaho State 5 – 9   .357 9 – 17   .346
Northern Arizona 5 – 9   .357 14 – 12   .538
Boise State 4 – 10   .286 10 – 16   .385
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1979–80 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 Indiana 13 – 5   .722 21 – 8   .724
No. 10 Ohio State 12 – 6   .667 21 – 8   .724
No. 20 Purdue 11 – 7   .611 23 – 10   .697
Iowa 10 – 8   .556 23 – 10   .697
Minnesota 10 – 8   .556 21 – 11   .656
Illinois 8 – 10   .444 22 – 13   .629
Michigan 8 – 10   .444 17 – 13   .567
Wisconsin 7 – 11   .389 15 – 14   .517
Michigan State 6 – 12   .333 12 – 15   .444
Northwestern 5 – 13   .278 10 – 17   .370
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 ECAC North men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Boston University 19 – 7   .731 21 – 9   .700
Northeastern 19 – 7   .731 19 – 8   .704
Holy Cross † 16 – 10   .615 19 – 11   .633
Rhode Island 14 – 12   .538 15 – 13   .536
Maine 14 – 12   .538 15 – 13   .536
Canisius 13 – 13   .500 13 – 14   .481
Vermont 4 – 4   .500 12 – 15   .444
Niagara 11 – 15   .423 11 – 16   .407
Colgate 8 – 17   .320 8 – 17   .320
New Hampshire 4 – 22   .154 4 – 22   .154
† 1980 ECAC North tournament winner
1979–80 ECC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Saint Joseph's 10 – 1   .909 21 – 9   .700
Temple 8 – 3   .727 14 – 12   .538
La Salle † 7 – 4   .636 22 – 9   .710
Hofstra 6 – 5   .545 14 – 14   .500
American 5 – 6   .455 13 – 14   .481
Drexel 4 – 7   .364 12 – 15   .444
West
Lafayette 13 – 3   .813 21 – 8   .724
Bucknell 13 – 3   .813 20 – 7   .741
Delaware 7 – 9   .438 9 – 19   .321
Rider 5 – 11   .313 10 – 18   .357
Lehigh 2 – 14   .125 5 – 20   .200
West Chester 1 – 15   .063 3 – 23   .115
† 1980 ECC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1979–80 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Villanova † 7 – 3   .700 23 – 8   .742
Duquesne 6 – 3   .667 18 – 10   .643
Rutgers 6 – 3   .667 14 – 14   .500
Pittsburgh 5 – 4   .556 17 – 12   .586
George Washington 5 – 5   .500 15 – 11   .577
St. Bonaventure 1 – 3   .250 16 – 11   .593
West Virginia 4 – 4   .500 15 – 14   .517
UMass 0 – 9   .000 2 – 24   .077
† 1980 Eastern 8 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Penn 11 – 3   .786 17 – 12   .586
Princeton 11 – 3   .786 15 – 15   .500
Brown 9 – 5   .643 12 – 14   .462
Yale 8 – 6   .571 16 – 10   .615
Harvard 6 – 8   .429 11 – 15   .423
Columbia 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385
Dartmouth 3 – 11   .214 6 – 20   .231
Cornell 3 – 11   .214 5 – 19   .208
Rankings from AP Poll[33]
1979–80 Metro Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Louisville † 12 – 0   1.000 33 – 3   .917
Virginia Tech 8 – 4   .667 21 – 8   .724
Florida State 7 – 5   .583 22 – 9   .710
Memphis State 5 – 7   .417 13 – 14   .481
Saint Louis 4 – 8   .333 12 – 15   .444
Cincinnati 3 – 9   .250 13 – 15   .464
Tulane 3 – 9   .250 10 – 17   .370
† 1980 Metro Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[34]
1979–80 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo † 14 – 2   .875 23 – 6   .793
Bowling Green State 11 – 5   .688 20 – 10   .667
Northern Illinois 9 – 7   .563 16 – 13   .552
Kent State 7 – 9   .438 16 – 11   .593
Ball State 7 – 9   .438 14 – 15   .483
Miami (Ohio) 7 – 9   .438 9 – 18   .333
Eastern Michigan 7 – 9   .438 11 – 16   .407
Western Michigan 7 – 9   .438 12 – 14   .462
Central Michigan 6 – 10   .375 12 – 13   .480
Ohio 5 – 11   .313 8 – 18   .308
† 1980 MAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Loyola-Chicago 5 – 0   1.000 19 – 10   .655
Oral Roberts † 4 – 1   .800 18 – 10   .643
Oklahoma City 3 – 2   .600 13 – 15   .464
Butler 2 – 3   .400 12 – 15   .444
Evansville 1 – 4   .200 18 – 10   .643
Xavier 0 – 5   .000 8 – 18   .308
† 1980 MCC tournament winner
1979–80 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Bradley † 13 – 3   .813 23 – 10   .697
Creighton 9 – 7   .563 16 – 12   .571
West Texas State 9 – 7   .563 19 – 11   .633
Wichita State 9 – 7   .563 17 – 12   .586
Indiana State 8 – 8   .500 16 – 11   .593
New Mexico State 8 – 8   .500 17 – 10   .630
Drake 6 – 10   .375 15 – 12   .556
Tulsa 5 – 11   .313 8 – 19   .296
Southern Illinois 5 – 11   .313 9 – 17   .346
† 1980 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[35]
1979–80 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Western Kentucky † 10 – 2   .833 21 – 8   .724
Murray State 10 – 2   .833 23 – 8   .742
Morehead State 7 – 5   .583 15 – 12   .556
Eastern Kentucky 7 – 5   .583 15 – 12   .556
Middle Tennessee 5 – 7   .417 13 – 13   .500
Austin Peay State 2 – 10   .167 8 – 18   .308
Tennessee Tech 1 – 11   .083 5 – 21   .192
† 1980 OVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1979–80 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
^#5 Oregon State 16 – 2   .889 26 – 3   .897
No. 18 Arizona State 15 – 3   .833 22 – 7   .759
Washington State 14 – 4   .778 22 – 6   .786
*UCLA 12 – 6   .667 17 – 9   .654
Washington 9 – 9   .500 18 – 10   .643
Arizona 6 – 12   .333 12 – 15   .444
USC 5 – 13   .278 12 – 15   .444
Oregon 5 – 13   .278 10 – 17   .370
Stanford 5 – 13   .278 7 – 19   .269
California 3 – 15   .167 8 – 19   .296
As of April 15, 1980[36]
*Oregon State vacated all tournament games (0–1) due to NCAA sanctions.
Disputed record (16-2, 26-4)
^UCLA vacated all tournament games (5–1) due to NCAA sanctions.
Disputed record (22-10, 12-6)
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Utah State 11 – 2   .846 18 – 9   .667
Long Beach State 11 – 3   .786 22 – 12   .647
Fresno State 8 – 4   .667 17 – 7   .708
San Jose State† 7 – 6   .538 17 – 12   .586
Pacific 7 – 7   .500 15 – 16   .484
UC Santa Barbara[note 1] 5 – 9   .357 11 – 16   .407
Cal State Fullerton 4 – 10   .286 10 – 17   .370
UC Irvine[note 2] 1 – 13   .071 9 – 18   .333
† 1980 PCAA tournament winner
1979–80 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 29 – 6   .829
No. 3 LSU † 14 – 4   .778 26 – 6   .813
Alabama 12 – 6   .667 18 – 12   .600
Tennessee 12 – 6   .667 18 – 11   .621
Ole Miss 9 – 9   .500 17 – 13   .567
Mississippi State 7 – 11   .389 13 – 14   .481
Vanderbilt 7 – 11   .389 13 – 13   .500
Georgia 7 – 11   .389 14 – 13   .519
Auburn 5 – 13   .278 10 – 18   .357
Florida 2 – 16   .111 7 – 21   .250
† 1980 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[37]
1979–80 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Furman † 14 – 1   .933 23 – 7   .767
Marshall 10 – 6   .625 17 – 12   .586
Western Carolina 9 – 7   .563 17 – 10   .630
East Tennessee State 8 – 7   .533 15 – 13   .536
Chattanooga 7 – 9   .438 13 – 14   .481
Appalachian State 6 – 10   .375 12 – 16   .429
The Citadel 6 – 10   .375 14 – 13   .519
VMI 6 – 10   .375 11 – 16   .407
Davidson 4 – 11   .267 8 – 18   .308
† 1980 Southern Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1979–80 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Lamar 8 – 2   .800 22 – 11   .667
Southwestern Louisiana 5 – 5   .500 21 – 9   .700
Arkansas State 5 – 5   .500 15 – 12   .556
McNeese State 5 – 5   .500 15 – 12   .556
Louisiana Tech 4 – 6   .400 17 – 10   .630
Texas-Arlington 3 – 7   .300 14 – 13   .519
Rankings from AP Poll[38]
1979–80 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Texas A&M † 14 – 2   .875 26 – 8   .765
Arkansas 13 – 3   .813 21 – 8   .724
Texas 10 – 6   .625 19 – 11   .633
Texas Tech 8 – 8   .500 16 – 13   .552
Houston 8 – 8   .500 14 – 14   .500
SMU 7 – 9   .438 16 – 12   .571
Baylor 6 – 10   .375 11 – 16   .407
Rice 4 – 12   .250 7 – 19   .269
TCU 2 – 14   .125 7 – 19   .269
† 1980 SWC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 SWAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Alcorn State † 8 – 0   1.000 28 – 2   .933
Grambling 6 – 4   .600 22 – 8   .733
Jackson State 3 – 5   .375 15 – 14   .517
Southern 3 – 6   .333 14 – 15   .483
Texas Southern 2 – 7   .222 9 – 17   .346
Prairie View –   – 10 – 18   .357
Mississippi Valley State –   – 3 – 24   .111
† 1980 SWAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
South Alabama 12 – 2   .857 23 – 6   .793
UAB 10 – 4   .714 18 – 12   .600
Jacksonville 10 – 4   .714 20 – 9   .690
UNC Charlotte 9 – 5   .643 15 – 12   .556
VCU † 8 – 6   .571 18 – 12   .600
Georgia State 4 – 10   .286 6 – 21   .222
New Orleans 2 – 12   .143 5 – 21   .192
South Florida 1 – 13   .071 6 – 21   .222
† 1980 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Northeast Louisiana 6 – 0   1.000 18 – 10   .643
Pan American 4 – 2   .667 19 – 9   .679
Mercer 3 – 3   .500 16 – 12   .571
Centenary† 3 – 3   .500 15 – 14   .517
Samford 3 – 3   .500 8 – 19   .296
Houston Baptist 2 – 4   .333 14 – 13   .519
Hardin–Simmons 0 – 6   .000 5 – 21   .192
† 1980 TAAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1979–80 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
San Francisco 11 – 5   .688 22 – 7   .759
Loyola Marymount 10 – 6   .625 14 – 14   .500
Pepperdine 9 – 7   .563 17 – 10   .630
Portland 9 – 7   .563 17 – 11   .607
Saint Mary's 9 – 7   .563 13 – 14   .481
Gonzaga 8 – 8   .500 13 – 13   .500
Santa Clara 8 – 8   .500 13 – 14   .481
Seattle 7 – 9   .438 11 – 16   .407
San Diego 1 – 15   .063 5 – 20   .200
Rankings from AP Poll
1979–80 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 BYU 13 – 1   .929 24 – 5   .828
UTEP 10 – 4   .714 20 – 8   .714
Utah 10 – 4   .714 18 – 10   .643
Wyoming 5 – 9   .357 18 – 10   .643
Colorado State 5 – 9   .357 10 – 17   .370
Hawaii 4 – 10   .286 13 – 14   .481
New Mexico 3 – 11   .214 7 – 21   .250
San Diego State 3 – 11   .214 6 – 21   .222
Rankings from AP Poll[39]

Division I independents

A total of 47 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (26–2) had both the best winning percentage (.929) and the most wins.[40]

1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 DePaul –   – 26 – 2   .929
No. 19 Iona* –   – 28 – 4   .875
Old Dominion –   – 25 – 5   .833
No. 9 Notre Dame –   – 23 – 8   .742
Tennessee State –   – 19 – 7   .731
UNLV –   – 23 – 9   .719
Saint Peter's –   – 22 – 9   .710
Cleveland State –   – 18 – 8   .692
James Madison –   – 18 – 8   .692
Illinois State –   – 20 – 9   .690
Marquette –   – 18 – 9   .667
UNC Wilmington –   – 19 – 10   .655
Penn State –   – 18 – 10   .643
Southern Mississippi –   – 17 – 10   .630
Arkansas–Little Rock –   – 16 – 10   .615
South Carolina –   – 16 – 11   .593
Campbell –   – 15 – 12   .556
East Carolina –   – 15 – 12   .556
Stetson –   – 15 – 12   .556
Long Island –   – 14 – 12   .538
Detroit –   – 14 – 13   .519
Navy –   – 14 – 13   .519
Wagner –   – 14 – 13   .519
Siena –   – 14 – 14   .500
Dayton –   – 13 – 14   .481
Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 13 – 14   .481
North Texas State –   – 13 – 14   .481
Richmond –   – 13 – 14   .481
Baltimore –   – 12 – 15   .444
William & Mary –   – 12 – 15   .444
Fordham** –   – 12 – 16   .429
St. Francis (Pa.) –   – 12 – 16   .429
St. Francis (N.Y.) –   – 11 – 15   .423
Fairfield –   – 11 – 16   .407
Army –   – 9 – 17   .346
Milwaukee –   – 9 – 17   .346
Towson State –   – 9 – 17   .346
Air Force –   – 8 – 17   .320
Valparaiso –   – 8 – 18   .308
Catholic –   – 8 – 19   .296
Robert Morris –   – 7 – 19   .269
Northwestern State –   – 5 – 20   .200
George Mason –   – 5 – 21   .192
Portland State –   – 5 – 21   .192
Georgia Southern –   – 5 – 22   .185
Manhattan –   – 4 – 22   .154
Baptist –   – 2 – 23   .080
* –Iona's 1980 NCAA Tournament games were vacated due to NCAA sanctions; disputed record 29–5.
**Disputed record 11–17.
Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference Regular
season winner 		Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5 Saint Joseph's Michael Brooks, La Salle

Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Points per game
Rebounds per game
Field-goal percentage
Free-throw percentage
Player School PPG Player School RPG Player School FG% Player School FT%
Tony Murphy Southern 32.1 Larry Smith Alcorn St. 15.1 Steve Johnson Oregon St. 71.0 Brian Magid George Washington 92.9
Lewis Lloyd Drake 30.2 Lewis Lloyd Drake 15.0 Ron Charles Michigan St. 67.6 Randy Nesbit The Citadel 92.5
Harry Kelly TX Southern 29.0 Rickey Brown Mississippi St. 14.4 Cherokee Rhone Centenary 66.6 Kyle Macy Kentucky 91.2
Ken Page New Mexico 28.0 Monti Davis Tenn. St. 13.3 Roosevelt Bouie Syracuse 65.4 Greg Manning Maryland 90.8
James Tillman Eastern Kentucky 27.2 Gary Hooker Murray St. 12.3 Murray Brown Florida St. 64.6 Eddie White Gonzaga 89.2

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main article: 1980 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Final Four

Played at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana

National semifinals National finals
      
E5 Iowa 72
MW2 Louisville 80
MW2 Louisville 59
W8 UCLA 54
ME6 Purdue 62
W8 UCLA 67 Third place
E5 Iowa 58
ME6 Purdue 75

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1980 National Invitation Tournament

NIT semifinals and finals

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Semifinals Finals
    
UNLV 71
Virginia 90
Virginia 58
Minnesota 55
Minnesota 65
Illinois 63 Third place
UNLV 74
Illinois 84

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1980 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Mark Aguirre F Sophomore DePaul
Michael Brooks F Senior La Salle
Joe Barry Carroll C Senior Purdue
Darrell Griffith G Senior Louisville
Kyle Macy G Senior Kentucky


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Mike Gminski C Senior Duke
Albert King F Junior Maryland
Mike O'Koren F Senior North Carolina
Kelvin Ransey G Senior Ohio State
Sam Worthen G Senior Marquette

Major player of the year awards

Major coach of the year awards

Other major awards

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after the season ended.[41]

Team Former
Coach 		Interim
Coach 		New
Coach 		Reason
Alabama C. M. Newton Wimp Sanderson Newton resigned to take the same position at Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt
Akron Ken Cunningham Bob Rupert
Army Mike Krzyzewski Pete Gaudet
Baptist David Reese Phil Carter
Boise State Bus Connor Dave Leach
Cal State Fullerton Bobby Dye George McQuarn
Colorado State Jim Williams Tony McAndrews
Cornell Ben Bluitt Tom Miller
Duke Bill Foster Mike Krzyzewski[42] Duke hired the untested Krzyzewski after a 9–17 season at Army.
Fairleigh Dickinson Al Lobalbo Don Feeley
Florida Ed Visscher Norm Sloan
George Mason John Linn Joe Harrington
Georgia Southern J. B. Scearce John Nelson
Hofstra Joe Harrington Dick Berg
Iona Jim Valvano Pat Kennedy
Iowa State Lynn Nance Rick Samuels Johnny Orr Nance resigned mid-season after an 8–10 start.
Lafayette Roy Chipman Will Rackley
Lamar Billy Tubbs Pat Foster
Loyola (IL) Jerry Lyne Gene Sullivan
Loyola Marymount Ron Jacobs Ed Goorjian
Michigan Johnny Orr Bill Frieder
Navy Bob Hamilton Paul Evans
Nebraska Joe Cipriano Moe Iba Iba took the helm after Cipriano died of cancer in November 1980.[43]
Nevada-Reno Jim Carey Sonny Allen
Niagara Dan Raskin Peter Lonergan
NC State Norm Sloan Jim Valvano Sloan resigned at NC State to take over at Florida, his alma mater, to rebuild the Gators as they moved into their new arena.
Northwestern Louisiana Tynes Hildebrand Wayne Yates
Ohio Dale Bandy Danny Nee
Oklahoma Dave Bliss Billy Tubbs
Pittsburgh Tim Grgurich Roy Chipman
Purdue Lee Rose Gene Keady
San Francisco Dan Belluomini Pete Barry
South Carolina Frank McGuire Bill Foster Hall of Fame coach McGuire retired after 30 years of coaching.
South Carolina State Tim Autry Johnny Jones
South Florida Chip Conner Gordon Gibbons Lee Rose Conner was fired in January[44] and later replaced with Rose – fresh off of a Final Four at Purdue.
Southern Methodist Sonny Allen Dave Bliss
Southern Utah Stan Jack Tom McCracken
Tennessee Tech Cliff Malpass Tom Deaton
Tulsa Jim King Bill Franey Nolan Richardson King resigned due to family concerns in February.[45] Tulsa hired reigning NJCAA championship coach Richardson.
UC Irvine Tim Tift Bill Mulligan
Valparaiso Ken Rochlitz Tom Smith
Western Kentucky Gene Keady Clem Haskins
Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bob Gottlieb Bob Voight

Notes

  1. ^ Wins vacated by PCAA but still recognized by NCAA.
  2. ^ UC Irvine claims two losses against UC Santa Barbara that were vacated by PCAA as wins.

References

  1. ^ "1980 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". AP Poll Archive. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Hartzell, Larry, "The 1978-79 Season," Hardwood History, March 22, 2011 Accessed April 6, 2021
  3. ^ a b "Burnsed, Brian, "A Brief History of Men's College Basketball," Champion, Fall 2018 Accessed April 6, 2021". Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Steinberg, Russell (June 22, 2015). "The death of the independent in college basketball". sbnation.com. SBNation. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  6. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  7. ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  8. ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2010-08-01
  9. ^ 2008–09 Big East Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section Archived 2009-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, Big East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  10. ^ 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  11. ^ Men's Basketball Award Winners, Big Sky Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  12. ^ 2008–09 A-10 men's basketball media guide – Awards section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic 10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  13. ^ America East Men's Basketball Players of the Year, America East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  14. ^ Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2010-08-01
  15. ^ 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  16. ^ 2008–09 Horizon League Men's Basketball Record Book Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Horizon League, retrieved 2010-08-01
  17. ^ 2008–09 MVC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Missouri Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  18. ^ 2008–09 OVC men's basketball media guide, Ohio Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  19. ^ 2008–09 Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide- Honors Section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Pacific-10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  20. ^ 2008–09 Big West Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Big West Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  21. ^ 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  22. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  23. ^ 2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  24. ^ "Teagle, Metcalf get top SWC honors". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 27, 1980. p. 33. Retrieved December 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ 2006–07 SWAC Men's Basketball Media Guide
  26. ^ 2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  27. ^ Atlantic Sun men's basketball record book, Atlantic Sun Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  28. ^ 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2010-08-01
  29. ^ Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments This was also the inaugural season of the [Original Big East Conference].
  30. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary
  31. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Big East Conference Season Summary
  32. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
  33. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Ivy Group Season Summary
  34. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary
  35. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary
  36. ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  37. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  38. ^ "Men's Basketball 2018-19" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 105. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  39. ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/wac/1980.html
  40. ^ "1979-80 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  41. ^ [1980–81 Street and Smith College Basketball Preview]
  42. ^ 2009–2010 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2010-12-31 at the Wayback Machine, Updated August 21, 2010
  43. ^ The Week (november 28–30)
  44. ^ "Basketball Notes". The Spartanburg Herald-Journal. January 16, 1980. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  45. ^ "King resigns Tulsa post". Lawrence Journal-World. February 2, 1980. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
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