1980–81 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1980–81 Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas logo.svg Big East Big East 20–12 9–5 John Thompson 9th Bill Stein 9th Norman Washington 1st Eric "Sleepy" Floyd Eric Smith Ed Spriggs McDonough Gymnasium NCAA tournament First Round The 1980–81 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I college basketball season. John Thompson, coached them in his ninth season as head coach. It was the last season in which they played all of their home games at McDonough Gymnasium on the Georgetown campus in Washington, D.C. They were members of the Big East Conference and finished the season with a record of 20–12 overall, 9–5 in Big East play. They advanced to the semifinals of the 1981 Big East tournament before losing to Syracuse. In the 1981 NCAA tournament, they lost in the first round to James Madison. Season recap Junior guard and team co-captain Eric "Sleepy" Floyd had been Georgetowns top scorer in each of the two previous seasons, and his scoring prowess continued this season. In the first three games of the season in the Great Alaska Shootout, he scored a combined 52 points, which he followed up in the home opener against Saint Leo with a perfect 11-for-11 from the field. Except for a 7-for-29 performance against Pennsylvania on January 3, 1981, and 7-for-19 against St. John's four days later, Floyd was a strong scorer all season.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_floyd.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 2. Eric Floyd 2014-02-01 2015-02-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150224190913/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_floyd.htm dead Junior guard and team co-captain Eric Smith joined the starting lineup this season and started every game for the rest of his collegiate career. He played a strong defense in 1980-81, shot 48% from the field, averaged 10.8 points per game, and twice scored 28 points in a game. In one of them, against Connecticut, he shot 13 for 21 (61.9%) from the field in what some observers considered the best individual effort seen in the Big East up to that time.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_smith.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 37. Eric Smith 2014-02-08 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171046/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/e_smith.htm dead Freshman Fred Brown played both guard and small forward during the year and performed well all season long, starting all 32 games. In his second game, he scored a season-high 16 points against North Carolina in the Great Alaska Shootout. He also scored 14 points and had 10 assists in the win over Boston College and scored the winning tip-in in the overtime game at Seton Hall. He finished the season shooting a team-high 58.4% from the field and was first in assists and second in steals.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/f_brown.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 48. Fred Brown 2014-02-26 2015-09-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031510/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/f_brown.htm dead Freshman guard Gene Smith emerged as a defensive specialist during the season, earning a starting spot on the roster in the last eight games of the year. In the February 4, 1981, game against Villanova, he held Villanovas Stewart Granger scoreless and forced the Wildcats into committing several offensive fouls.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/g_smith.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 68. Gene Smith 2014-02-08 2015-03-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20150329171301/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/g_smith.htm dead Junior center Mike Hancock had his most productive season, scoring in 30 of 31 games and averaging 8.7 points per game.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_hancock.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 96. Mike Hancock 2014-02-08 2015-03-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20150331010504/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/m_hancock.htm dead The most unusual event of this season took place on February 28, 1981, during the final regular-season game. Big East rival Connecticut was visiting McDonough Gymnasium when, during a timeout, Connecticuts Jonathan the Husky mascot started a fistfight with Georgetowns Jack the Bulldog mascot, leading to Jonathans ejection from McDonough. Thanks to senior center Mike Fraziers heroics, which included a block and rebound at the end of the game to preserve a 60–58 Georgetown victory, over a hundred Georgetown students gathered outside Fraziers on-campus apartment for an informal post-game pep rally.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Classic Games 2014-01-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041705/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/classic.htm 2015-09-24 dead The Hoyas advanced to the semifinals of the 1981 Big East men's basketball tournament before losing to Syracuse. They were the No. 7 seed in the East Region of the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament – the third of 14 consecutive Georgetown NCAA tournament appearances – and were upset in the first round by the East Region No. 10 seed, James Madison. During the second half of the James Madison game, Sleepy Floyd passed Derrick Jackson as the leading scorer in Georgetown men's basketball history. He finished the season shooting better than 50 percent from the floor for the second straight year, scoring 607 points during the season, averaging 19 points per game, and, between shooting and assists, contributing over 35 percent of the 1980–81 teams offense. For the third straight year, he was Georgetowns top scorer. One of the most important events of the season took place off the court when, on February 2, 1981, Patrick Ewing, a senior center at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, committed to play college basketball at Georgetown the following season. Ewing – destined to become Georgetown′s head coach in 2017 after a lengthy post-graduation career as a player and coach in the National Basketball AssociationWang, Gene, "," washingtonpost.com, April 3, 2017, 7:32 p.m. EDT. – generally is considered the best men's basketball player in Georgetown history, and his arrival would transform the Georgetown men's basketball program into an established national power.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 1. Patrick Ewing 2014-01-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064113/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/p_ewing.htm 2018-07-23 dead The 1980–81 team was the last one to use McDonough Gymnasium as its home court. Although McDonough had served in this capacity for 30 seasons, the school announced in August 1981 that the Hoyas were moving to the much larger Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, for their home schedule the following season. Membership in the Big East and success on the court had increased Georgetown′s visibility, and the anticipation of Ewings arrival caused the demand for tickets to spike. McDonough remained the Hoyas′ practice facility, and they continued to host occasional games there in future years, but it could no longer accommodate Georgetown′s growing fan base. Roster Sourcehttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-80s.htm#1981 The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Rosters 1980-81 to 1989-1990 2013-12-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20150330045658/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/players/roster-80s.htm#1981 2015-03-30 dead The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Player Directory: Jersey Numbers #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious Team(s)10Kurt Kaull6'3"N/AGSo.Wheaton, IL, U.S.Wheaton Warrenville South HS20Fred Brown6'5"190GFr.Bronx, NY, U.S.Adlai E. Stevenson HS21Eric "Sleepy" Floyd6'3"170GJr.Gastonia, NC, U.S.Hunter Huss HS22Gene Smith6'2"170GFr.Washington, DC, U.S.McKinley Technology HS30Ron Blaylock6'3"N/AGJr.Winston-Salem, NC, U.S.East Forsyth HS32Eric Smith6'5"185FJr.Potomac, MD, U.S.Winston Churchill HS34Jim Corcoran6'0"N/AGJr.Potomac, MD, U.S.Georgetown Preparatory School40Mike Hancock6'7"180FJr.Washington, DC, U.S.Roosevelt Senior HS41Jeff Bullis6'7"N/AFJr.Forest Hill, MD, U.S.Bel Air HS42David Blue6'7"N/AFSo.Frederick, MD, U.S.Prospect Hall HS50Ed Spriggs6'9"240C/FJr.North Brentwood, MD, U.S.Northwestern HS51Mike Frazier6'7"N/AFSr.Cleveland, OH, U.S.University School55Ray Knight6'9"N/AC/FFr.Washington, DC, U.S.St. Anthony's HS Rankings 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings Source1980-81 Big East Conference Season Summarysports-reference.com 1980-81 Polls + Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Final AP 16 19 Coaches 16 No Coaches' Poll this week. 18 Schedule and results Sourceshttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: 1980s Seasons December 8, 2013 February 12, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170212070905/http://hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Records vs. All Opponents 2013-12-08 2013-11-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20131103211101/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/opponents.htm dead sports-reference.com 1980-81 Big East Conference Schedule and Results2012-2013 Georgetown Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 63. All times are Eastern yes |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Regular Season Fri., Nov. 28, 1980 yes yes 16 Nicholls State Buckner Fieldhouse Fort Richardson, AK Great Alaska Shootout 98–63 1–0 3,500 Sat., Nov. 29, 1980 yes yes 16 North Carolina 13 Buckner Fieldhouse Fort Richardson, AK Great Alaska Shootout 71–83 1–1 2,500 Sun., Nov. 30, 1980 yes yes 16 Louisiana State 12 Buckner Fieldhouse Fort Richardson, AK Great Alaska Shootout 61–76 1–2 2,000 Thu., Dec. 4, 1980 yes 19 Saint Leo McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 108–76 2–2 N/A Sat., Dec. 6, 1980 yes 19 Wheeling Jesuit McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 94–58 3–2 4,106 Wed., Dec. 10, 1980 yes Southern-New Orleans McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 79–43 4–2 3,810 Sat., Dec. 13, 1980 yes yes George Washington Charles E. Smith Athletic Center Washington, DC 84–82 2OT 5–2 4,600 Sat., Dec. 20, 1980 yes yes Drake Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, IA 57−73 5–3 N/A Tue., Dec. 23, 1980 yes Texas Southern McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 80–61 6–3 3,323 Mon., Dec. 29, 1980 yes yes DePaul 1 San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, CA Cabrillo Classic 67−72 6–4 N/A Tue., Dec. 30, 1980 yes yes La Salle San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, CA Cabrillo Classic 79–63 7–4 11,044 Sat, Jan. 3, 1981 yes Pennsylvania McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 58–60 7–5 4,403 Wed., Jan. 7, 1981 yes St. John's Alumni Hall Queens, NY 60–68 7–6 0–1 6,442 Sat., Jan. 10, 1981 Boston College McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 57–55 8–6 1–1 4,510 Mon., Jan. 12, 1981 yes Seton Hall Walsh Gymnasium South Orange, NJ 52–51 OT 9–6 2–1 3,000 Sat., Jan. 17, 1981 Syracuse McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC Rivalry 62–57 10–6 3–1 N/A Mon., Jan. 19, 1981 Providence McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 58–61 10–7 3–2 4,419 Wed., Jan. 21, 1981 yes Southern Connecticut State McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 84–41 11–7 3,321 Sat., Jan. 24, 1981 yes Connecticut 20 University of Connecticut Field House Storrs, CT Rivalry 73–75 OT 11–8 3–3 4,660 Wed., Jan 28, 1981 yes yes American Fort Myer Ceremonial Hall Fort Myer, VA 74–72 12–8 4,250 Sat., Jan. 31, 1981 yes yes Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, NV 69–68 13–8 N/A Wed., Feb. 4, 1981 Villanova McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 70–54 14–8 4–3 4,504 Sat., Feb. 7, 1981 St. John's McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 75–68 15–8 5–3 4,607 Mon., Feb. 9, 1981 yes Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Rivalry 64–66 15–9 5–4 N/A Sat., Feb. 14, 1981 Seton Hall McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 58–56 16–9 6–4 4,414 Wed., Feb. 18, 1981 yes Boston College Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, MA 49–53 16–10 6–5 4,400 Sat., Feb. 21, 1981 yes Villanova Palestra Philadelphia, PA 68–60 17–10 7–5 6,228 Wed., Feb. 25, 1981 yes Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, RI 71–63 18–10 8–5 12,812 Sat., Feb. 28, 1981 Connecticut McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC Rivalry 60–58 19–10 9–5 4,528 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| Big East tournament Thu., Mar. 5, 1981 yes 2 Seton Hall 7 Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Quarterfinal 58–52 20–10 11,713 Fri., Mar. 6, 1981 yes 2 Syracuse 6 Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Semifinal/Rivalry 53–57 20–11 N/A |- !colspan=9 style="background:#002147; color:#8D817B;"| NCAA tournament Thu., Mar. 12, 1981 yes 7 E James Madison 10 E Providence Civic Center Providence, RI First round 55–61 20–12 8,273 Notes note References Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball seasons Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team Georgetown