1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Basketball season August 2023 March 2026 1980 File:NCAA primary logo 1980.svg Kentucky Wildcats March 12 30, 1981 The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Indiana Hoosiers Indiana Hoosiers Tulsa Golden Hurricanes Ralph Sampson, Virginia Cavaliers (Naismith) Danny Ainge, BYU Cougars (Wooden) Mark Aguirre, DePaul Blue Demons The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 28, 1980, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 30, 1981, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Indiana Hoosiers won their fourth NCAA national championship with a 63–50 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rule Changes On free throw attempts, players can now enter the free-throw lane after the foul shooter releases the ball. Previously, players had to wait until the ball touched either the rim or backboard before entering the lane. The time allotted to replace a disqualified (fouled out) player was reduced from 60 to 30 seconds. Conferences were allowed to experiment with the three-point shot in conference games only. The Southern Conference was the first to use the shot in their conference games, adopting a distance of 22 feet. Season headlines At 7:06 p.m. on November 29, 1980, Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina scored a 23 ft on 0 field goal against Middle Tennessee State. Not counting shots made during a February 1945 game between Columbia and Fordham that experimented with the three-point field goal, Carr became the first player to score on a three-point shot. The three-pointer was used as an experiment by several conferences until the rule was adopted nationally for the 1986-87 season.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 13 After a nearly even first half, the Indiana Hoosiers pulled away from the North Carolina Tar Heels to clinch the school's fourth national championship, 63–50, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The win marked Hoosiers head coach Bob Knight's second championship and marked North Carolina head coach Dean Smith's sixth trip to the Final Four without a championship. A dominant second half by sophomore Isiah Thomas led Indiana to the championship.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124346/index.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20121102222921/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124346/index.htm dead November 2, 2012 And A Little Child Led Them Sports Illustrated 2010-08-07 1981-04-06 The possibility of postponing or cancelling the March 30 NCAA championship game arose after an assassination attempt in which John Hinckley Jr., shot President Ronald Reagan that day in Washington, D.C. Once it was confirmed that Reagan would survive, the game was played as scheduled.What a night to be in Bloomington The NCAA used the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a computer ranking system, for the first time as an aid in evaluating teams for at-large selections and seeding in the NCAA tournament.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 12 Two No. 1 seeds (LSU and Virginia) advanced to the NCAA tournament Final Four for the first time. The NCAA tournament included a national third-place game — pitting the two teams that lost in the semifinals against one another — for the last time. The NCAA tournament had included a national third-place game since 1946. For the last time, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) included a third-place game between the two teams that lost in the semifinals. The tournament had included a third-place game since the first NIT in 1938. The NCAA Final Four was held in Philadelphia and the Final Four logo included a depiction of the Liberty Bell. It was the first time that a Final Four logo incorporated an image specific to the Final Four venue. Oregon State senior Steve Johnson set an NCAA record for season field goal percentage with a .746 mark. Johnson graduated with the NCAA career field goal percentage record (.678) 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book (p. 22) NCAA http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2008/2008RB.pdf 7 August 2010 Nolan Richardson led Tulsa to a 15-game improvement over the previous year in his first year at the helm. The Golden Hurricane went 26–7 and won the 1981 National Invitation Tournament. Richardson came to Tulsa fresh off of a 1980 NJCAA Championship and brought four of his former Western Texas College starters to Tulsa, including Paul Pressey.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125275/index.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20121102222929/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125275/index.htm dead November 2, 2012 This Court Transplant Took Sports Illustrated 2010-08-07 1982-03-01 Season outlook Pre-season polls 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings The top 20 from the AP and UPI polls during the pre-season.*ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 Associated PressRankingTeam1 Kentucky (30)2 DePaul (18)3 Louisville (2)4 Maryland (2)5 Indiana (2)6 UCLA (2)7 Oregon State (1)8 Virginia (1)9 Ohio State (1)10 Notre Dame11 Missouri12 Louisiana State13 North Carolina14 Iowa15 Texas A&M16 Georgetown17 St. John's18 Brigham Young19 Syracuse20 Arkansas UPI CoachesRankingTeam1 Kentucky2 DePaul3 Louisville4 Indiana 5 Maryland 6 Oregon State7 Virginia8 UCLA9 Ohio State10 Missouri11 North Carolina12 Notre Dame13 Louisiana State14 Texas A&M15 Iowa16 Georgetown17 Brigham Young18 Kansas State19 St. John's20 Arizona State Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Air Force Air Force Falcons Division I independent Western Athletic Conference Akron Akron Zips Division II independent Ohio Valley Conference Arkansas-Little Rock Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference Bethune–Cookman Bethune–Cookman Wildcats SIAC (D-II) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Detroit Detroit Titans Division I independent Midwestern City Conference Georgia Southern Georgia Southern Eagles Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference Milwaukee Milwaukee Panthers Division I independent Division III independent New Orleans New Orleans Privateers Sun Belt Conference Division I independent Nicholls State Nicholls State Colonels Division II independent Division I independent Northern Iowa Northern Iowa Panthers Division II independent Division I independent Northwestern State Northwestern State Demons Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference Rhode Island Rhode Island Rams ECAC North Conference Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Seattle Seattle Redhawks West Coast Athletic Conference NAIA independent Southeastern Louisiana Southeastern Louisiana Lions Division II independent Division I independent Texas Pan American Texas–Pan American Broncs Trans America Athletic Conference Division I independent Villanova Villanova Wildcats Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Big East Conference Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular season winnerhttp://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Standings.pdf 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section 2009 NCAA 2010-08-01Conference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAtlantic Coast Conference Virginia Ralph Sampson, Virginia2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192652/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09mbkguide083112.pdf 2016-03-03 , retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 ACC men's basketball tournament Capital Centre(Landover, Maryland) North CarolinaBig East Conference Boston College John Bagley, Boston College2008–09 Big East Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section https://web.archive.org/web/20090204070728/http://www.bigeast.org/fls/19400/pdfs/mensbball/record-book.pdf?SPSID=92557&SPID=11228&DB_OEM_ID=19400 2009-02-04 , Big East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Big East men's basketball tournament Carrier Dome(Syracuse, New York) SyracuseBig Eight Conference Missouri Andre Smith, Nebraska2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament Kemper Arena(Kansas City, Missouri)(Semifinals and Finals) KansasBig Sky Conference Idaho Brian Kellerman, Idahohttps://archive.today/20120722162522/http://www.bigskyconf.com/Sports/mbball/2008/MBBAwardWinners060508.asp Men's Basketball Award Winners, Big Sky Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament Kibbie Dome(Moscow, Idaho) IdahoBig Ten Conference Indiana None Selected No TournamentEast Coast Conference American (East) Lafayette & Rider (West) Len Hatzenbeller, Drexel 1981 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament The Palestra(Philadelphia) St. Joseph'sEastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Duquesne & Rhode Island Earl Belcher, St. Bonaventure2008–09 A-10 men's basketball media guide – Awards section https://web.archive.org/web/20110523131521/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/atl10/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0809-mg-pt8.pdf 2011-05-23 , Atlantic 10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament Civic Arena (Pittsburgh) Pittsburgh Eastern College AthleticConference (ECAC) Division I ECAC membersplayed as independentsduring the regular season(see note) 1981 ECAC Metro Region tournament Nassau Coliseum(Uniondale, New York) LIU-Brooklyn 1981 ECAC South Region tournament Hampton Coliseum(Hampton, Virginia) James MadisonECAC North Northeastern Mike Ferrara, ColgateAmerica East Men's Basketball Players of the Year, America East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 ECAC North men's basketball tournament Cabot Center(Boston) NortheasternIvy League Princeton Larry Lawrence, DartmouthMen's Ivy League Outstanding performers https://web.archive.org/web/20080429080237/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/alltime.asp?intSID=6 2008-04-29 , Ivy League, retrieved 2010-08-06 No TournamentMetro Conference Louisville David Burns, Saint Louis & Derek Smith, Louisville 1981 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament Freedom Hall(Louisville, Kentucky) LouisvilleMid-American Conference Ball State, Northern Illinois, Toledo, W. Michigan & Bowling Green Harvey Knuckles, Toledo2008–09 MAC Men's BAsketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 MAC men's basketball tournament Crisler Arena(Ann Arbor, Michigan) Ball StateMid-Eastern Athletic Conference North Carolina A&T Larry Spriggs, Howard 1981 MEAC men's basketball tournament Winston–Salem Memorial Coliseum(Winston-Salem, North Carolina) Howard2008–09 MEAC men's basketball media guide https://web.archive.org/web/20120922070741/https://admin.xosn.com/fls/20800/media_guides/2008-09/mens_basketball/MBBRecords.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=20800 2012-09-22 , MEAC, retrieved 2010-08-06Midwestern City Conference Xavier Darius Clemons, Loyola (IL) & Rubin Jackson, Oklahoma City2008–09 Horizon League Men's Basketball Record Book https://web.archive.org/web/20110523142907/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/hori/genrel/auto_pdf/Records-MBB.pdf 2011-05-23 , Horizon League, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament Final at Riverfront Coliseum(Cincinnati) Oklahoma CityMissouri Valley Conference Wichita State Lewis Lloyd, Drake2008–09 MVC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Missouri Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Levitt Arena(Wichita, Kansas) CreightonOhio Valley Conference Western Kentucky Jerry Beck, Middle Tennessee St.2008–09 OVC men's basketball media guide, Ohio Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament E. A. Diddle Arena(Bowling Green, Kentucky) Western KentuckyPacific-10 Conference Oregon State Steve Johnson, Oregon State2008–09 Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide- Honors Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110523143103/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pac10/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/Honors.pdf 2011-05-23 , Pacific-10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 No TournamentPacific Coast Athletic Association Fresno State Kevin Magee, UC Irvine2008–09 Big West Men's Basketball Media Guide https://web.archive.org/web/20110716232233/http://www.bigwest.org/sports/mbball/0708_MB_Media_Guide.pdf 2011-07-16 , Big West Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament Anaheim Convention Center(Anaheim, California) Fresno StateSoutheastern Conference LSU Rudy Macklin, LSUMacklin Named SEC Top Player https://www.newspapers.com/image/750696184 The State Columbia, South Carolina March 4, 1981 45 Newspapers.com February 20, 2024Macklin named SEC Player of Year https://www.newspapers.com/image/1014445373 The State Journal Frankfort, Kentucky March 5, 1981 11 Newspapers.com February 20, 2024 1981 SEC men's basketball tournament Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex(Birmingham, Alabama) MississippiSouthern Conference Appalachian State, Davidson & UT-Chattanooga Charles Payton, Appalachian State2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110723151437/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 July 23, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Roanoke Civic Center(Roanoke, Virginia) UT-ChattanoogaSouthland Conference Lamar Mike Olliver, Lamar2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament McDonald Gym(Beaumont, Texas) (Semifinals and finals) LamarSouthwest Conference Arkansas Rob Williams, Houston 1981 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament HemisFair Arena(San Antonio, Texas) HoustonSouthwestern Athletic Conference Alcorn State & Southern-BR Harry Kelly, Texas Southern & Robert Williams, Grambling StateGSU cagers land on all-SWAC team https://www.newspapers.com/image/215299754 The Shreveport Times March 5, 1981 31 Newspapers.com August 14, 2019GSU honors Williams, Jackson https://newspapers.com/image/95489687/ The Shreveport Times April 23, 1981 33 Newspapers.com August 14, 2019 1981 SWAC men's basketball tournament LSU Assembly Center(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Southern-BRSun Belt Conference VCU, South Alabama & UAB Ed Rains, South Alabama2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum(Jacksonville, Florida) VCUTrans America Athletic Conference Houston Baptist Benton Wade, MercerAtlantic Sun men's basketball record book, Atlantic Sun Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 1981 TAAC men's basketball tournament Hirsch Coliseum(Shreveport, Louisiana) MercerWest Coast Athletic Conference Pepperdine &San Francisco Quintin Dailey, San Francisco2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide https://web.archive.org/web/20110523143240/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/west/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2008-09mbbrecordbook.pdf 2011-05-23 , West Coast Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 No TournamentWestern Athletic Conference Utah & Wyoming Danny Ainge, BYU2009–10 WAC Men's Basketball Media Guide https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204316/http://www.wacsports.com/pdf4/652254.pdf 2016-03-03 , Western Athletic Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06 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 1981 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1981 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.Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments Conference standings Division I independents A total of 46 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (27–2) had both the best winning percentage (.931) and the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1981.html Sports Reference 1980-81 Men's Independent Season Summary August 23, 2024 Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, & Villanova John Pinone, Villanova All five teams finished with a 2–2 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% Zam Fredrick S. Carolina 28.9 Darryl Watson Miss. Valley St. 14.0 Steve Johnson Oregon St. 74.6 Dave Hidahl Portland St. 92.7 Mike Ferrara Colgate 28.6 Wayne Sappleton Loyola (IL) 13.4 Kevin Magee UC Irvine 67.1 Jack Moore Nebraska 92.2 Kevin Magee UC Irvine 27.5 Michael Cage San Diego St. 13.1 Orlando Woolridge Notre Dame 65.0 Steve Bontrager Oral Roberts 90.1 Lewis Lloyd Drake 26.3 Kevin Magee UC Irvine 12.5 Buck Williams Maryland 64.7 Jim Stack Northwestern 90.0 Rob Williams Houston 25.0 LaSalle Thompson Texas 12.3 Thomas Best Lafayette 64.3 John Leonard Manhattan 89.1 Post-season tournaments NCAA tournament 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Indiana won its fourth NCAA title with a 63–50 win over North Carolina and coach Dean Smith. Precocious sophomore Isiah Thomas was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player in a title game delayed due to the shooting of President Ronald Reagan. Final Four Played at The Spectrum in Philadelphia National semifinals National finals Third place E1 Virginia 65 W2 North Carolina 78 ME3 Indiana 67 MW1 LSU 49 W2 North Carolina 50 ME3 Indiana 63 E1 Virginia 78 MW1 LSU 74 National Invitation tournament 1981 National Invitation Tournament Coach Nolan Richardson led Tulsa to the NIT Championship in his first year as a Division I head coach – an 86–84 win over Syracuse. The Golden Hurricane's Greg Stewart was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. NIT Semifinals and Finals Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City no Semifinals Finals   Third place Syracuse 70   Purdue 63   West Virginia 87   Tulsa 89   Syracuse 84   Tulsa 86   Purdue 75   West Virginia 72 Awards Consensus All-American teams 1981 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Mark Aguirre F Junior DePaul Danny Ainge G Senior Brigham Young Steve Johnson C Senior Oregon State Ralph Sampson C Sophomore Virginia Isiah Thomas G Sophomore Indiana + Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Sam Bowie C Sophomore Kentucky Jeff Lamp F Senior Virginia Durand Macklin F Senior LSU Kelly Tripucka F Senior Notre Dame Danny Vranes F Senior Utah Al Wood F Senior North Carolina Major player of the year awards Wooden Award: Danny Ainge, BYU Naismith Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia Helms Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul Associated Press Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia UPI Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia NABC Player of the Year: Danny Ainge, BYU Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Ralph Sampson, Virginia Adolph Rupp Trophy: Ralph Sampson, Virginia Sporting News Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul Major coach of the year awards Associated Press Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Ralph Miller, Oregon State NABC Coach of the Year: Jack Hartman, Kansas State & Ralph Miller, Oregon State UPI Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Dale Brown, LSU Sporting News Coach of the Year: Dale Brown, LSU Other major awards Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Terry Adolph, West Texas State Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): John Pinone, Villanova NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Gary Springer, Iona Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonAppalachian StateBobby CreminsKevin Cantwell BrownJoe MullaneyMike CingiserMullaney left to coach Providence.ColoradoBill BlairTom ApkeBlair left to join the New Jersey Nets coaching staff.CreightonTom ApkeWillis Reed Apke left to coach Colorado.DavidsonEddie BiedenbachBobby Hussey DrakeBob OrtegelGary GarnerEastern KentuckyEd ByhreMax GoodFairfieldFred BarakatTerry O'ConnorGeorge WashingtonBob TallentGerry GimelstobGeorgia SouthernJohn NelsonFrank KernsGeorgia StateRoger CouchJim JarrettGeorgia TechDwane MorrisonBobby Cremins GonzagaDan FitzgeraldJay Hillock Hardin–SimmonsJim ShulerJim Hatfield JacksonvilleTates LockeBob WenzelManhattanBrian MahoneyGordon ChiesaMississippi StateJim HatfieldBob Boyd Nicholls StateJerry SandersGordon C. StaufferNE LouisianaBenny HollisMike ViningNorthern ArizonaJoedy GardnerGene VisscherProvidenceGary WaltersJoe Mullaney RiceMike SchulerTommy Suitts RichmondLou GoetzDick Tarrant Saint Joseph'sJim LynamJim Boyle SamfordCliff WettigMike Hanks Seton HallBill RafteryHoddy MahonSouthern IllinoisJoe GottfriedAllen Van Winkle TulaneRoy DanforthNed Fowler UCLALarry BrownLarry Farmer UMassRay WilsonTom McLaughlin VanderbiltRichard SchmidtC. M. NewtonVermontPeter SalzbergBill Whitmore References 2 NCAA