1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 July 2024 1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars Basketball South Alabama Jaguars wordmark.svg 250 Sun Belt Conference East Division Sun Belt 25–6 9–3 Cliff Ellis 6th Jaguar GymMobile Municipal Auditorium Sun Belt Regular season co-champions NIT tournament quarterfinals 1979–80 1981–82 The 1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team represented the University of South Alabama during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Jaguars were led by head coach Cliff Ellis, in his sixth year as head coach. They played their home games at the Mobile Civic Center, and were members of the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama finished the season 25–6, 9–3 in Sun Belt play to finish tied for first place. They were invited to the NIT tournament, where they lost to 1980 men Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa in the quarterfinals. Roster 1980 South Alabama Jaguars y Rory White F 6 8 210 Sr y Tuskegee, Alabama Ed Rains 15 F 6 7 Sr y Ocala, Florida Cliff Ellis (Florida State) Schedule and results 1980-81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1980 yes yes |- !colspan=9 style=South Alabama Jaguars| Regular season Dec 1, 1980 yes 1980 men Wisconsin–Parkside Rangers Wisconsin–Parkside Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 86–58 1–0 Dec 3, 1980 yes 1980 men Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Middle Tennessee State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 79–80 1–1 Dec 5, 1980 yes yes 1980 men UTEP Miners Texas–El Paso Hart Center Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester County Classic 77–66 2–1 Dec 6, 1980 yes yes Holy Cross Hart Center Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester County Classic 77–53 3–1 Dec 11, 1980 yes 1980 men Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Tennessee Tech Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 67–48 4–1 Dec 13, 1980 yes 1980 none Prairie View A&M Panthers Prairie View A&M Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 101–53 5–1 Dec 16, 1980 yes yes 1980 men Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State 7 St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio 76–67 6–1 Dec 18, 1980 yes yes 1980 men Akron Zips Akron Memorial Hall Akron, Ohio 52–49 7–1 Dec 29, 1980 yes 1980 men Navy Midshipmen Navy Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama Senior Bowl 65–47 8–1 Dec 30, 1980 yes 1980 men Fordham Rams Fordham Mobile Municipal Auditorium Mobile, Alabama Senior Bowl 79–61 9–1 Jan 2, 1981 yes 1980 none Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils Mississippi Valley State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 98–67 10–1 Jan 6, 1981 yes 15 VCU Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia 76–62 11–1 1–0 Jan 8, 1981 yes 1980 men UNC Charlotte 49ers UNC Charlotte Belk Gymnasium Charlotte, North Carolina 92–61 12–1 2–0 Jan 10, 1981 1980 men Georgia State Panthers Georgia State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 74–54 13–1 3–0 Jan 13, 1981 UNC Charlotte Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 80–63 14–1 4–0 Jan 17, 1981 yes 1980 men Nicholls State Colonels Nicholls State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 95–62 15–1 Jan 22, 1981 11 VCU Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 70–86 15–2 4–1 Jan 24, 1981 yes yes 1980 men McNeese State Cowboys McNeese State Lake Charles Civic Center Lake Charles, Louisiana 64–60 16–2 Jan 27, 1981 yes 1980 men Jacksonville Dolphins Jacksonville Jacksonville Coliseum Jacksonville, Florida 55–48 17–2 5–1 Jan 31, 1981 yes UAB Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, Alabama 70–73 16,131 17–3 5–2 Feb 5, 1981 1980 men South Florida Bulls South Florida Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 54–50 18–3 6–2 Feb 8, 1981 Jacksonville Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 86–65 19–3 7–2 Feb 10, 1981 yes Georgia State GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, Georgia 82–49 20–3 8–2 Feb 12, 1981 yes South Florida USF Sun Dome Tampa, Florida 52–70 20–4 8–3 Feb 17, 1981 UAB Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 77–57 21–4 9–3 Feb 19, 1981 7:30 p.m. yes yes Illinois State Horton Field House Normal, Illinois 50–44 4,572 22–4 |- !colspan=9 style=South Alabama Jaguars| Sun Belt Conference tournament Feb 27, 1981 yes yes 2 Georgia State 7 Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum Jacksonville, Florida Quarterfinals 79–41 23–4 Feb 28, 1981 yes yes 2 UAB 3 Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum Jacksonville, Florida Semifinals 86–59 5,271 23–5 |- !colspan=9 style=South Alabama Jaguars| NIT tournament Mar 11, 1981 yes 1980 men Texas–Arlington Mavericks Texas–Arlington Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama First round 74–71 24–5 Mar 16, 1981 yes yes 1980 none Georgia Bulldogs Georgia Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia Second round 73–72 25–5 Mar 20, 1981 yes yes 1980 men Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa Mabee Center Tulsa, Oklahoma Quarterfinals 68–69 25–6 AP Poll Central Time MW Midwest 2019-20 South Alabama Men's Basketball Media Guide https://usajaguars.com/documents/2019/11/4/19_20_Media_Guide.pdf University of South Alabama Athletics July 15, 2024https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-alabama/men/1981-schedule.html 1980-81 South Alabama Jaguars Men's Schedule and Results Sports Reference July 15, 2024 References Category:South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball seasons South Alabama South Alabama South Alabama Jaguars basketball South Alabama Jaguars basketball