1980–81 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1980–81 none Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Tennessee Volunteers logo.svg 125px Southeastern Conference East SEC 15 15 21–8 12–6 Don DeVoe 3rd Stokely Athletic Center NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen The 1980–81 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1980–81 college basketball season. Led by third-year head coach Don DeVoe, the team played their home games at the Stokely Athletic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers finished with a record of 21–8 (12–6 SEC, 2nd) and received an at-large bid to the 1981 NCAA tournament as the 4 seed in the East region. After an opening round win over VCU, Tennessee was defeated by No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Virginia, 62–48.Virginia Routs Tennessee https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1981/03/20/virginia-routs-tennessee/3d7f3cc1-09f4-405c-a41e-762fd16abee5/ The Washington Post March 20, 1981 February 24, 2023 This was the third of five straight seasons of NCAA Tournament basketball for the Tennessee men's program. The Volunteers would not reach the Sweet Sixteen again until the 2000 NCAA tournament. Roster 1980 Tennessee Volunteers y Tyrone Beaman 10 G 5 11 Fr Niagara Falls, New York Dale Ellis 14 F 6 7 195 So y Marietta, Georgia Michael Brooks 21 G 6 3 Fr Memphis, Tennessee Gary Carter 30 G 6 3 Jr Johnson City, Tennessee Dan Federmann 33 C 6 10 Fr Cincinnati, Ohio Willie Burton 40 F 6 7 Fr Millen, Georgia Howard Wood 44 F 6 7 230 Sr y basketball Southampton, New York Steve Ray 53 F 6 4 Jr Collinsville, Illinois Randy Bates 54 FC 6 7 Fr Old Hickory, Tennessee Don DeVoe (Ohio State) https://utsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/1980-81 1980-81 Men's Basketball Roster https://utsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/1980-81 University of Tennessee Athletics February 19, 2023 Schedule and results yes |- !colspan=9 style=Tennessee Volunteers| Regular season Nov 29, 1980 yes 1980 men Rollins Tars Rollins Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 94–58 1–0 Dec 3, 1980 yes Auburn Memorial Coliseum Auburn, Alabama 65–75 1–1 0–1 Dec 6, 1980 yes Purdue Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 78–69 2–1 Dec 9, 1980 yes 1980 men Lafayette Leopards Lafayette Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 72–42 3–1 Dec 13, 1980 yes 1980 men Colorado Buffaloes Colorado Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 87–69 4–1 Dec 19, 1980 yes 1980 men Iona Gaels Iona Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 80–54 5–1 Dec 20, 1980 yes Brigham Young 18 Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 81–65 6–1 Dec 28, 1980 yes yes Arizona State 11 Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana Sugar Bowl Tournament 69–53 7–1 Dec 29, 1980 yes yes Duke Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana Sugar Bowl Tournament 90–69 8–1 Jan 3, 1981 yes 18 Alabama Memorial Coliseum Tuscaloosa, Alabama 70–69 9–1 1–1 Jan 7, 1981 13 Ole Miss Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 73–68 10–1 2–1 Jan 10, 1981 yes 13 Kentucky 4 Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky 47–48 10–2 2–2 Jan 14, 1981 13 1980 men Florida Gators Florida Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 78–64 11–2 3–2 Jan 17, 1981 yes 11 Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee 72–66 12–2 4–2 Jan 21, 1981 11 1980 men Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 81–57 13–2 5–2 Jan 24, 1981 yes 8 LSU 5 Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana 63–80 13–3 5–3 Jan 28, 1981 8 1980 none Georgia Bulldogs Georgia Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 72–67 14–3 6–3 Jan 31, 1981 11 Alabama Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 62–58 15–3 7–3 Feb 4, 1981 yes 11 Ole Miss Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, Mississippi 52–71 15–4 7–4 Feb 7, 1981 10 Kentucky 6 Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 87–71 16–4 8–4 Feb 11, 1981 yes 10 Florida Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida 53–52 17–4 9–4 Feb 14, 1981 9 Vanderbilt Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 79–72 18–4 10–4 Feb 18, 1981 yes 9 Mississippi State Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, Mississippi 73–70 19–4 11–4 Feb 21, 1981 8 LSU 4 Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 65–66 19–5 11–5 Feb 25, 1981 yes 8 Georgia Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia 75–76 19–6 11–6 Feb 28, 1981 10 Auburn Stokely Center Knoxville, Tennessee 75–63 20–6 12–6 |- !colspan=9 style=Tennessee Volunteers| SEC tournament Mar 5, 1981 TVS yes yes 10 Ole Miss BJCC Coliseum Birmingham, Alabama Quarterfinals 71–81 20–7 |- !colspan=9 style=Tennessee Volunteers| NCAA tournament Mar 15, 1981 yes yes 15 4 E VCU 5 E Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina Second round 58–56 OT 21–7 Mar 19, 1981 yes yes 15 4 E Virginia 5 1 E The Omni Atlanta, Georgia East Regional Semifinal Sweet Sixteen 48–62 21–8 AP poll Eastern Time E East 1980-81 Men's Basketball Schedule https://utsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1980-81 University of Tennessee Athletics February 19, 2023 2019-20 Tennessee Men's Basketball Media Guide https://utsports.com/documents/2019/11/1/81_124_Results.pdf University of Tennessee Athletics February 19, 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 921–922 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 NBA draft 1981 NBA draft Tennessee Volunteers Round Pick Player NBA club 2 27 Howard Wood Utah Jazz https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1981.html 1981 NBA Draft Basketball-reference.com February 19, 2023 References Category:Tennessee Volunteers basketball seasons Tennessee Tennessee Volunteers Volunteers