1980–81 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1980–81 Villanova Wildcats Big East Conference Big East Conference (1979–2013) Big East 20–11 8–6 Rollie Massimino 9th Mitch Buonaguro 4th Marty Marbach 2nd Harry Booth Villanova Field House NCAA Men's Division I Tournament Second round The 1980–81 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference. The team finished tied for 3rd in the conference regular season standings and received a bid to the NCAA tournament before falling to No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Virginia. Villanova finished with a 20–11 record (8–6 Big East). Roster 1980 Villanova Wildcats y Stewart Granger y basketball 10 G 6 3 185 So Brooklyn, New York John Pinone y 45 F 6 8 225 So Hartford, Connecticut Jeff Sherry 14 G 6 3 190 Jr Macungie, Pennsylvania Rollie Massimino (Vermont) Mitch Buonaguro (Boston College) Marty Marbach (Saint Francis University) Harry Booth (Saint Joseph's) Schedule and results Eastern Time |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats white| Regular season yes 1980 men Merrimack Warriors Merrimack Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 90–61 1–0 Dec 2, 1980 yes St. Francis (NY) Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 95–73 2,200 2–0 Dec 6, 1980 1980 men Providence Friars Providence Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 68–49 3–0 1–0 Dec 9, 1980 yes 1980 men Seton Hall Pirates Seton Hall Walsh Gymnasium South Orange, New Jersey 66–65 4–0 2–0 Dec 13, 1980 Boston College Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 74–71 5–0 3–0 Dec 6, 1980 yes yes 1980 men La Salle Explorers La Salle The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 83–84 5–1 Dec 28, 1980 yes yes San Francisco Special Events Center El Paso, Texas 93–66 6–1 Dec 29, 1980 yes yes 1980 men UTEP Miners UTEP Special Events Center El Paso, Texas 43–41 7–1 Jan 3, 1981 St. John's Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 78–90 7–2 3–1 Jan 6, 1981 yes Notre Dame The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 65–94 7–3 Jan 10, 1981 yes Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York 69–65 8–3 4–1 Jan 14, 1981 yes St. John's Alumni Hall Queens, New York 54–56 OT 8–4 4–2 Jan 17, 1981 yes yes Pennsylvania The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 68–55 9–4 Jan 19, 1981 yes 1980 men Towson State Tigers Towson Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 84–64 10–4 Jan 21, 1981 Connecticut Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 63–59 11–4 5–2 Jan 24, 1981 yes yes 1980 men Colgate Raiders Colgate Cotterell Court Hamilton, New York 85–75 12–4 Jan 26, 1981 yes Boston College Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 60–73 12–5 5–3 Jan 31, 1981 yes yes Temple The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 68–71 12–6 Feb 4, 1981 yes Georgetown McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D.C. 54–70 4,504 12–7 5–4 Feb 7, 1981 yes yes 1980 men Maine Black Bears Maine The Pit Orono, Maine 68–48 13–7 Feb 11, 1981 Seton Hall Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 67–63 14–7 6–4 Feb 14, 1981 yes Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island 70–82 14–8 6–5 Feb 17, 1981 Syracuse Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 88–78 15–8 7–5 Feb 21, 1981 yes Georgetown The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 60–68 6,228 15–9 7–6 Feb 23, 1981 yes Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Storrs, Connecticut 74–73 16–9 8–6 Feb 28, 1981 yes yes Saint Joseph's The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 72–62 17–9 |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats white| Big East tournament Mar 5, 1981 yes yes 4 Connecticut 5 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Quarterfinals 65–54 18–9 Mar 6, 1981 yes yes 4 Providence 8 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Semifinals 58–49 OT 19–9 Mar 7, 1981 yes yes 4 Syracuse 6 Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York Championship game 80–83 3OTSyracuse Beats Villanova in 3 Overtimes for Crown https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/08/sports/syracuse-beats-villanova-in-3-overtimes-for-crown.html The New York Times March 8, 1981 February 24, 2023 19–10 |- !colspan=9 style=Villanova Wildcats white| NCAA tournament Mar 13, 1981 yes yes 9 E Houston 8 E Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina First round 90–72 20–10 Mar 15, 1981 yes yes 9 E Virginia 5 1 E Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina Second round 50–54Virginia Defeats Villanova, Will Face Tennessee https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1981/03/16/virginia-defeats-villanova-will-face-tennessee/852fe9b2-4104-4d29-9460-3294af1b1cb4/ The Washington Post March 16, 1981 February 24, 2023 20–11 AP poll E East https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/villanova/1981-schedule.html 1980-81 Villanova Wildcats Schedule and Results Sports Reference February 24, 20232019–20 Villanova Men's Basketball Media Guide https://publications.provationsgroup.org/publications/2019-20-Villanova-Basketball/#page=121 Villanova University Athletics February 24, 2023 Rankings 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 877–878 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 References Villanova Villanova Category:Villanova Wildcats men's basketball seasons Category:1980 in sports in Pennsylvania Category:1981 in sports in Pennsylvania