1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars Basketball South Alabama Jaguars wordmark.svg 250 Sun Belt Conference East Division Sun Belt 23–6 12–2 Cliff Ellis 5th Jaguar GymMobile Municipal Auditorium Sun Belt Regular season champions NCAA tournament first round 1978–79 1980–81 The 1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team represented the University of South Alabama during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Jaguars were led by head coach Cliff Ellis, in his fifth 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 23–6, 12–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in first place. They were upset by Jacksonville in the Sun Belt tournament, but did receive an at-large bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest region. In the opening round, the Jaguars lost to Alcorn State, 70–62.Rutgers, Syracuse Fives Advance https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/11/archives/rutgers-syracuse-fives-advance-rutgers-syracuse-victors.html The New York Times March 11, 1979 May 6, 2023 Roster 1979 South Alabama Jaguars y Rory White F 6 8 210 Jr y Tuskegee, Alabama Ed Rains 15 F 6 7 Jr y Ocala, Florida Cliff Ellis (Florida State) Schedule and results 1979-80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1979 yes yes |- !colspan=9 style=South Alabama Jaguars| Regular season Dec 1, 1979 yes yes Louisville 10 Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 73–75 0–1 Dec 3, 1979 yes 1979 men McNeese State Cowboys McNeese State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 61–58 1–1 Dec 7, 1979 yes yes 1979 men Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Tennessee Tech Eblen Center Cookeville, Tennessee 97–68 2–1 Dec 8, 1979 yes yes 1979 men Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Middle Tennessee Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 55–49 3–1 Dec 13, 1979 yes yes 1979 men Hardin-Simmons Cowboys Hardin-Simmons 81–63 4–1 Dec 15, 1979 yes 1979 men Oregon Tech Owls Oregon Tech Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 98–62 5–1 Dec 17, 1979 yes VCU Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia 60–56 6–1 1–0 Dec 19, 1979 yes 1979 men New Orleans Privateers New Orleans Human Performance Center New Orleans, Louisiana 65–54 7–1 2–0 Dec 27, 1979 yes 1979 men Rider Broncs Rider Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama Senior Bowl 101–72 8–1 Dec 28, 1979 yes Alcorn State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama Senior Bowl 77–82 8–2 Jan 3, 1980 yes 1979 men Missouri Baptist Spartans Missouri Baptist Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 105–47 9–2 Jan 5, 1980 VCU Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 74–87 9–3 2–1 Jan 7, 1980 yes 1979 men Georgia State Panthers Georgia State GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, Georgia 70–61 10–3 3–1 Jan 9, 1980 yes 1979 men Jacksonville Dolphins Jacksonville Jacksonville Coliseum Jacksonville, Florida 64–63 11–3 4–1 Jan 13, 1980 1979 men South Florida Bulls South Florida Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 85–55 12–3 5–1 Jan 16, 1980 Georgia State Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 70–59 13–3 6–1 Jan 18, 1980 New Orleans Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 74–56 14–3 7–1 Jan 24, 1980 UAB Mobile Civic Center Mobile, Alabama 62–70 10,513 14–4 7–2 Jan 26, 1980 yes 1979 men UNC Charlotte 49ers UNC Charlotte Independence Arena Charlotte, North Carolina 80–69 15–4 8–2 Jan 28, 1980 yes South Florida Curtis Hixon Hall Tampa, Florida 88–72 16–4 9–2 Jan 30, 1980 UNC Charlotte Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 66–65 17–4 10–2 Feb 4, 1980 Jacksonville Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 65–58 18–4 11–2 Feb 7, 1980 yes yes 1979 men Georgia Southern Eagles Georgia Southern Hanner Fieldhouse Statesboro, Georgia 94–79 19–4 Feb 12, 1980 yes Georgia Southern Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 89–61 20–4 Feb 15, 1980 yes Hardin-Simmons Jaguar Gym Mobile, Alabama 76–64 21–4 Feb 17, 1980 yes UAB BJCC Arena Birmingham, Alabama 66–65 8,352 22–4 12–2 |- !colspan=9 style=South Alabama Jaguars| Sun Belt Conference tournament Feb 23, 1980 yes yes South Florida Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina Quarterfinals 86–57 23–4 Feb 24, 1980 yes yes VCU Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina Semifinals 72–74 23–5 |- !colspan=9 style=South Alabama Jaguars| NCAA tournament Mar 7, 1980 yes yes 9 MW Alcorn State 8 MW UNT Coliseum Denton, Texas First round 62–70 23–6 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 May 6, 2023 References Category:South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball seasons South Alabama South Alabama South Alabama Jaguars basketball South Alabama Jaguars basketball