1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	Kentucky Wildcats
NCAA Tournament	1981
Tournament dates	March 12 – 30, 1981
National Championship	The Spectrum; Philadelphia
NCAA Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Helms National Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Other champions	Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (NIT)
Player of the Year; (Naismith, Wooden)	Ralph Sampson, Virginia (Naismith); Danny Ainge, BYU (Wooden)
Player of the Year; (Helms)	Mark Aguirre, DePaul
	← 1979–80 1981–82 →

The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 28, 1980, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 30, 1981, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Indiana Hoosiers won their fourth NCAA national championship with a 63–50 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Rule Changes

On free throw attempts, players can now enter the free-throw lane after the foul shooter releases the ball. Previously, players had to wait until the ball touched either the rim or backboard before entering the lane.
The time allotted to replace a disqualified (fouled out) player was reduced from 60 to 30 seconds.
Conferences were allowed to experiment with the three-point shot in conference games only. The Southern Conference was the first to use the shot in their conference games, adopting a distance of 22 feet.

Season headlines

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference played its first season as a Division I conference.
At 7:06 p.m. on November 29, 1980, Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina scored a 23-foot (7 m) field goal against Middle Tennessee State. Not counting shots made during a February 1945 game between Columbia and Fordham that experimented with the three-point field goal, Carr became the first player to score on a three-point shot. The three-pointer was used as an experiment by several conferences until the rule was adopted nationally for the 1986-87 season.^[1]
After a nearly even first half, the Indiana Hoosiers pulled away from the North Carolina Tar Heels to clinch the school's fourth national championship, 63–50, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The win marked Hoosiers had coach Bob Knight's second championship and marked North Carolina head coach Dean Smith's sixth trip to the Final Four without a championship. A dominant second half by sophomore Isiah Thomas led Indiana to the championship.^[2]
The possibility of postponing or cancellng the March 30 NCAA championship game arose after an assassination attempt in which John Hinckley, Jr., shot President Ronald Reagan that day in Washington, D.C. Once it was confirmed that Reagan would survive, the game was played as scheduled.^[3]
The NCAA used the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a computer ranking system, for the first time as an aid in evaluating teams for at-large selections and seeding in the NCAA tournament.^[4]
Two No. 1 seeds (LSU and Virginia) advanced to the NCAA tournament Final Four for the first time.^[4]
The NCAA tournament included a national third-place game — pitting the two teams that lost in the semifinals against one another — for the last time. The NCAA tournament had included a national third-place game since 1946.
For the last time, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) included a third-place game between the two teams that lost in the semifinals. The tournament had included a third-place game since the first NIT in 1938.
The NCAA Final Four was held in Philadelphia and the Final Four logo included a depiction of the Liberty Bell. It was the first time that a Final Four logo incorporated an image specific to the Final Four venue.^[4]
Oregon State senior Steve Johnson set an NCAA record for season field goal percentage with a .746 mark. Johnson graduated with the NCAA career field goal percentage record (.678)^[5]
Nolan Richardson led Tulsa to a 15-game improvement over the previous year in his first year at the helm. The Golden Hurricane went 26–7 and won the 1981 National Invitation Tournament. Richardson came to Tulsa fresh off of a 1980 NJCAA Championship and brought four of his former Western Texas College starters to Tulsa, including Paul Pressey.^[6]

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP and UPI polls during the pre-season.^[7]

Associated Press
Ranking	Team
1	Kentucky (30)
2	DePaul (18)
3	Louisville (2)
4	Maryland (2)
5	Indiana (2)
6	UCLA (2)
7	Oregon State (1)
8	Virginia (1)
9	Ohio State (1)
10	Notre Dame
11	Missouri
12	Louisiana State
13	North Carolina
14	Iowa
15	Texas A&M
16	Georgetown
17	St. John's
18	Brigham Young
19	Syracuse
20	Arkansas

UPI Coaches
Ranking	Team
1	Kentucky
2	DePaul
3	Louisville
4	Indiana
5	Maryland
6	Oregon State
7	Virginia
8	UCLA
9	Ohio State
10	Missouri
11	North Carolina
12	Notre Dame
13	Louisiana State
14	Texas A&M
15	Iowa
16	Georgetown
17	Brigham Young
18	Kansas State
19	St. John's
20	Arizona State

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Akron Zips	Division II independent	Ohio Valley Conference
Detroit Titans	Division I independent	Midwestern City Conference
Georgia Southern Eagles	Division I independent	Trans America Athletic Conference
New Orleans Privateers	Sun Belt Conference	Division I independent
Rhode Island Rams	ECAC North Conference	Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8)
Texas–Pan American Broncs	Trans America Athletic Conference	Division I independent
Villanova Wildcats	Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8)	Big East Conference

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner^[8]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	Virginia	Ralph Sampson, Virginia^[9]	1981 ACC men's basketball tournament	Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland)	North Carolina
Big East Conference	Boston College	John Bagley, Boston College^[10]	1981 Big East men's basketball tournament	Carrier Dome (Syracuse, New York)	Syracuse
Big Eight Conference	Missouri	Andre Smith, Nebraska^[11]	1981 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament	Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals)	Kansas
Big Sky Conference	Idaho	Brian Kellerman, Idaho^[12]	1981 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament	Kibbie Dome (Moscow, Idaho)	Idaho
Big Ten Conference	Indiana	None Selected	No Tournament
East Coast Conference	American (East) Lafayette & Rider (West)	Len Hatzenbeller, Drexel	1981 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament	The Palestra (Philadelphia)	St. Joseph's
Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8)	Duquesne & Rhode Island	Earl Belcher, St. Bonaventure^[13]	1981 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament	Civic Arena (Pittsburgh)	Pittsburgh
Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)	Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note)		1981 ECAC Metro Region tournament	Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, New York)	LIU-Brooklyn
Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)			1981 ECAC South Region tournament	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)	James Madison
ECAC North	Northeastern	Mike Ferrara, Colgate^[14]	1981 ECAC North men's basketball tournament	Cabot Center (Boston)	Northeastern
Ivy League	Princeton	Larry Lawrence, Dartmouth^[15]	No Tournament
Metro Conference	Louisville	David Burns, Saint Louis & Derek Smith, Louisville	1981 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament	Freedom Hall (Louisville, Kentucky)	Louisville
Mid-American Conference	Ball State, Northern Illinois, Toledo, W. Michigan & Bowling Green	Harvey Knuckles, Toledo^[16]	1981 MAC men's basketball tournament	Crisler Arena (Ann Arbor, Michigan)	Ball State
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	North Carolina A&T	Larry Spriggs, Howard	1981 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament	Winston–Salem Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)	Howard^[17]
Midwestern City Conference	Xavier	Darius Clemons, Loyola (IL) & Rubin Jackson, Oklahoma City^[18]	1981 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament	Final at Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati)	Oklahoma City
Missouri Valley Conference	Wichita State	Lewis Lloyd, Drake^[19]	1981 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	Levitt Arena (Wichita, Kansas)	Creighton
Ohio Valley Conference	Western Kentucky	Jerry Beck, Middle Tennessee St.^[20]	1981 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	E. A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky)	Western Kentucky
Pacific-10 Conference	Oregon State	Steve Johnson, Oregon State^[21]	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association	Fresno State	Kevin Magee, UC Irvine^[22]	1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament	Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California)	Fresno State
Southeastern Conference	LSU	Rudy Macklin, LSU^[23]^[24]	1981 SEC men's basketball tournament	Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama)	Mississippi
Southern Conference	Appalachian State, Davidson & UT-Chattanooga	Charles Payton, Appalachian State^[25]	1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia)	UT-Chattanooga
Southland Conference	Lamar	Mike Olliver, Lamar^[26]	1981 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament	McDonald Gym (Beaumont, Texas) (Semifinals and finals)	Lamar
Southwest Conference	Arkansas	Rob Williams, Houston	1981 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament	HemisFair Arena (San Antonio, Texas)	Houston
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Alcorn State & Southern-BR	Harry Kelly, Texas Southern & Robert Williams, Grambling State^[27]^[28]	1981 SWAC men's basketball tournament	LSU Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)	Southern-BR
Sun Belt Conference	VCU, South Alabama & UAB	Ed Rains, South Alabama^[29]	1981 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament	Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum (Jacksonville, Florida)	VCU
Trans America Athletic Conference	Houston Baptist	Benton Wade, Mercer^[30]	1981 TAAC men's basketball tournament	Hirsch Coliseum (Shreveport, Louisiana)	Mercer
West Coast Athletic Conference	Pepperdine & San Francisco	Quintin Dailey, San Francisco^[31]	No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference	Utah & Wyoming	Danny Ainge, BYU^[32]	No Tournament

Note: From 1975 to 1981, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1981 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did. The ECAC North was a separate, conventional conference.^[33]

Conference standings

1980–81 ACC men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 5 Virginia	13	–	1	.929	29	–	4	.879
No. 6 North Carolina †	10	–	4	.714	29	–	8	.784
No. 11 Wake Forest	9	–	5	.643	22	–	7	.759
No. 18 Maryland	8	–	6	.571	21	–	10	.677
Duke	6	–	8	.429	17	–	13	.567
Clemson	6	–	8	.429	20	–	11	.645
NC State	4	–	10	.286	14	–	13	.519
Georgia Tech	0	–	14	.000	4	–	23	.148

† 1981 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 Big East men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Boston College	10	–	4	.714	23	–	7	.767
Georgetown	9	–	5	.643	20	–	12	.625
St. John's	8	–	6	.571	17	–	11	.607
Villanova	8	–	6	.571	20	–	11	.645
Connecticut	8	–	6	.571	20	–	9	.690
Syracuse †	6	–	8	.429	22	–	12	.647
Seton Hall	4	–	10	.286	11	–	16	.407
Providence	3	–	11	.214	10	–	18	.357

† 1981 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll^[34]

1980–81 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Missouri	10	–	4	.714	22	–	10	.688
Kansas State	9	–	5	.643	24	–	9	.727
Nebraska	9	–	5	.643	15	–	12	.556
Kansas †	9	–	5	.643	24	–	8	.750
Oklahoma State	8	–	6	.571	18	–	9	.667
Colorado	5	–	9	.357	16	–	12	.571
Oklahoma	4	–	10	.286	9	–	18	.333
Iowa State	2	–	12	.143	9	–	18	.333

† 1981 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll^[35]

1980–81 Big Sky men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Idaho †	12	–	2	.857	25	–	4	.862
Montana	11	–	3	.786	19	–	9	.679
Montana State	11	–	3	.786	16	–	11	.593
Idaho State	6	–	8	.429	12	–	14	.462
Nevada	5	–	9	.357	11	–	15	.423
Weber State	5	–	9	.357	8	–	19	.296
Boise State	4	–	10	.286	7	–	19	.269
Northern Arizona	2	–	12	.143	8	–	17	.320

† Big Sky Conference tournament winner

1980–81 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 9 Indiana	14	–	4	.778	26	–	9	.743
No. 13 Iowa	13	–	5	.722	21	–	7	.750
No. 19 Illinois	12	–	6	.667	21	–	8	.724
Purdue	10	–	8	.556	21	–	11	.656
Minnesota	9	–	9	.500	19	–	11	.633
Ohio State	9	–	9	.500	14	–	13	.519
Michigan	8	–	10	.444	19	–	11	.633
Michigan State	7	–	11	.389	13	–	14	.481
Wisconsin	5	–	13	.278	11	–	16	.407
Northwestern	3	–	15	.167	9	–	18	.333

Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 ECAC North men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Northeastern †	21	–	5	.808	24	–	6	.800
Holy Cross	18	–	8	.692	20	–	10	.667
Vermont	15	–	11	.577	16	–	12	.571
Maine	13	–	13	.500	14	–	14	.500
Boston University	13	–	13	.500	13	–	14	.481
Canisius	11	–	15	.423	11	–	15	.423
Niagara	11	–	15	.423	11	–	15	.423
Colgate	11	–	17	.393	11	–	18	.379
New Hampshire	3	–	7	.300	7	–	19	.269

† 1981 ECAC North tournament winner

1980–81 ECC men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
East
American	11	–	0	1.000	24	–	6	.800
Saint Joseph's †	9	–	2	.818	25	–	8	.758
Temple	9	–	2	.818	20	–	8	.714
La Salle	8	–	3	.727	14	–	13	.519
Drexel	6	–	5	.545	14	–	13	.519
Hofstra	5	–	6	.455	12	–	15	.444
West
Lafayette	8	–	8	.500	15	–	13	.536
Rider	8	–	8	.500	14	–	14	.500
Bucknell	6	–	10	.375	12	–	16	.429
Lehigh	6	–	10	.375	14	–	12	.538
Delaware	3	–	13	.188	6	–	19	.240
West Chester	2	–	14	.125	7	–	20	.259

† 1981 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

1980–81 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Rhode Island	10	–	3	.769	21	–	8	.724
Duquesne	10	–	3	.769	20	–	10	.667
West Virginia	9	–	4	.692	23	–	10	.697
Pittsburgh †	8	–	5	.615	19	–	12	.613
Rutgers	7	–	6	.538	16	–	14	.533
St. Bonaventure	6	–	4	.600	14	–	13	.519
George Washington	4	–	9	.308	8	–	19	.296
UMass	0	–	13	.000	3	–	24	.111

† 1981 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 Ivy League men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Princeton	13	–	1	.929	18	–	10	.643
Penn	13	–	1	.929	20	–	8	.714
Harvard	9	–	5	.643	16	–	10	.615
Brown	5	–	9	.357	9	–	17	.346
Columbia	5	–	9	.357	9	–	17	.346
Cornell	4	–	10	.286	7	–	19	.269
Yale	4	–	10	.286	7	–	19	.269
Dartmouth	3	–	11	.214	10	–	16	.385

Rankings from AP Poll^[36]

1980–81 Metro Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 12 Louisville †	11	–	1	.917	21	–	9	.700
Florida State	7	–	5	.583	17	–	11	.607
Cincinnati	6	–	6	.500	16	–	13	.552
Virginia Tech	6	–	6	.500	15	–	13	.536
Memphis State	5	–	7	.417	13	–	14	.481
Tulane	4	–	8	.333	12	–	15	.444
Saint Louis	3	–	9	.250	9	–	18	.333

† 1981 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll^[37]

1980–81 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Western Michigan	10	–	6	.625	15	–	13	.536
Ball State †	10	–	6	.625	20	–	10	.667
Toledo	10	–	6	.625	21	–	10	.677
Bowling Green	10	–	6	.625	15	–	12	.556
Northern Illinois	10	–	6	.625	17	–	12	.586
Eastern Michigan	8	–	8	.500	13	–	14	.481
Ohio	6	–	10	.375	7	–	20	.259
Miami	6	–	10	.375	11	–	15	.423
Central Michigan	5	–	11	.313	12	–	14	.462
Kent State	5	–	11	.313	7	–	19	.269

† 1981 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 MEAC men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
North Carolina A&T	7	–	3	.700	21	–	8	.724
Florida A&M	6	–	4	.600	17	–	11	.607
Howard †	6	–	4	.600	17	–	12	.586
Bethune–Cookman	4	–	6	.400	13	–	15	.464
South Carolina State	4	–	6	.400	11	–	15	.423
Delaware State	3	–	7	.300	8	–	18	.308

† 1981 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Xavier	8	–	3	.727	12	–	16	.429
Loyola-Chicago	7	–	4	.636	13	–	15	.464
Oklahoma City †	7	–	4	.636	14	–	15	.483
Oral Roberts	6	–	5	.545	11	–	16	.407
Evansville	6	–	5	.545	19	–	9	.679
Detroit	1	–	5	.167	9	–	18	.333
Butler	1	–	10	.091	5	–	22	.185

† 1981 MCC tournament winner

1980–81 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Wichita State	12	–	4	.750	26	–	7	.788
Creighton †	11	–	5	.688	21	–	9	.700
Tulsa	11	–	5	.688	26	–	7	.788
Drake	10	–	6	.625	18	–	11	.621
Bradley	10	–	6	.625	18	–	9	.667
New Mexico State	7	–	9	.438	10	–	17	.370
West Texas State	7	–	9	.438	16	–	11	.593
Indiana State	4	–	12	.250	9	–	18	.333
Southern Illinois	0	–	16	.000	7	–	20	.259

† 1981 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll^[38]

1980–81 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Western Kentucky †	12	–	2	.857	21	–	8	.724
Murray State	10	–	4	.714	17	–	10	.630
Middle Tennessee	9	–	5	.643	18	–	9	.667
Austin Peay	7	–	7	.500	14	–	13	.519
Eastern Kentucky	7	–	7	.500	10	–	16	.385
Akron	5	–	9	.357	8	–	18	.308
Morehead State	4	–	10	.286	11	–	15	.423
Tennessee Tech	2	–	12	.143	6	–	20	.231

† 1981 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

1980–81 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 Oregon State	17	–	1	.944	26	–	2	.929
No. 3 Arizona State	16	–	2	.889	24	–	4	.857
No. 10 UCLA	13	–	5	.722	20	–	7	.741
USC	9	–	9	.500	14	–	13	.519
Washington	8	–	10	.444	14	–	13	.519
Arizona	8	–	10	.444	13	–	14	.481
Oregon	6	–	12	.333	13	–	14	.481
California	5	–	13	.278	13	–	14	.481
Stanford	5	–	13	.278	9	–	18	.333
Washington State	3	–	15	.167	10	–	17	.370

Rankings from AP Poll^[39]

1980–81 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Fresno State†	12	–	2	.857	25	–	4	.862
San Jose State	10	–	4	.714	21	–	9	.700
UC Irvine	9	–	5	.643	17	–	10	.630
Long Beach State	9	–	5	.643	15	–	13	.536
Utah State	5	–	9	.357	12	–	16	.429
UC Santa Barbara	5	–	9	.357	11	–	16	.407
Pacific	4	–	10	.286	14	–	13	.519
Cal State Fullerton	2	–	12	.143	4	–	23	.148

† 1981 PCAA tournament winner

1980–81 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 4 LSU	17	–	1	.944	31	–	5	.861
No. 8 Kentucky	15	–	3	.833	22	–	6	.786
No. 15 Tennessee	12	–	6	.667	21	–	8	.724
Alabama	10	–	8	.556	18	–	11	.621
Georgia	9	–	9	.500	19	–	12	.613
Ole Miss †	8	–	10	.444	16	–	14	.533
Vanderbilt	7	–	11	.389	15	–	14	.517
Florida	5	–	13	.278	12	–	16	.429
Auburn	4	–	14	.222	11	–	16	.407
Mississippi State	3	–	15	.167	8	–	19	.296

† 1981 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll^[40]

1980–81 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Chattanooga †	11	–	5	.688	21	–	9	.700
Davidson	11	–	5	.688	13	–	14	.481
Appalachian State	11	–	5	.688	20	–	9	.690
East Tennessee State	9	–	7	.563	13	–	14	.481
Western Carolina	9	–	7	.563	18	–	10	.643
Furman	8	–	8	.500	11	–	16	.407
Marshall	8	–	8	.500	18	–	10	.643
VMI	3	–	13	.188	4	–	23	.148
The Citadel	2	–	14	.125	9	–	17	.346

† 1981 Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

1980–81 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Lamar †	8	–	2	.800	25	–	5	.833
Texas-Arlington	7	–	3	.700	20	–	8	.714
Louisiana Tech	7	–	3	.700	20	–	10	.667
Southwestern Louisiana	6	–	4	.600	15	–	13	.536
Arkansas State	2	–	8	.200	12	–	15	.444
McNeese State	0	–	10	.000	11	–	21	.344

† Southland Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll^[41]

1980–81 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 20 Arkansas	13	–	3	.813	24	–	8	.750
Houston †	10	–	6	.625	21	–	9	.700
Baylor	10	–	6	.625	15	–	12	.556
Texas Tech	8	–	8	.500	15	–	13	.536
Texas A&M	8	–	8	.500	15	–	12	.556
Texas	7	–	9	.438	15	–	15	.500
Rice	7	–	9	.438	12	–	15	.444
TCU	6	–	10	.375	11	–	18	.379
SMU	3	–	13	.188	7	–	20	.259

† 1981 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

1980–81 SWAC men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Southern †	8	–	4	.667	17	–	11	.607
Alcorn State	8	–	4	.667	17	–	12	.586
Grambling State	7	–	5	.583	18	–	11	.621
Jackson State	7	–	5	.583	16	–	13	.552
Texas Southern	7	–	5	.583	13	–	13	.500
Mississippi Valley State	4	–	8	.333	11	–	16	.407
Prairie View	1	–	11	.083	2	–	23	.080

† 1981 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
VCU †	9	–	3	.750	24	–	5	.828
South Alabama	9	–	3	.750	25	–	6	.806
UAB	9	–	3	.750	23	–	9	.719
South Florida	7	–	5	.583	18	–	11	.621
Jacksonville	4	–	8	.333	8	–	19	.296
UNC Charlotte	3	–	9	.250	10	–	17	.370
Georgia State	1	–	11	.083	4	–	23	.148

† 1981 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Houston Baptist	9	–	3	.750	18	–	10	.643
NE Louisiana	8	–	4	.667	15	–	13	.536
Mercer †	7	–	4	.636	18	–	12	.600
Centenary	7	–	5	.583	16	–	12	.571
Arkansas–Little Rock	5	–	6	.455	13	–	13	.500
Samford	5	–	6	.455	10	–	17	.370
Northwestern State	5	–	7	.417	11	–	17	.393
Hardin-Simmons	4	–	8	.333	9	–	18	.333
Georgia Southern	2	–	9	.182	5	–	22	.185

† 1981 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
San Francisco	11	–	3	.786	23	–	7	.767
Pepperdine	11	–	3	.786	16	–	11	.593
Gonzaga	9	–	5	.643	19	–	8	.704
Portland	7	–	7	.500	17	–	10	.630
Santa Clara	7	–	7	.500	14	–	13	.519
Loyola Marymount	5	–	9	.357	9	–	19	.321
San Diego	3	–	11	.214	10	–	16	.385
Saint Mary's	3	–	11	.214	9	–	18	.333


Rankings from AP Poll

1980–81 WAC men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 14 Utah	13	–	3	.813	25	–	5	.833
No. 17 Wyoming	13	–	3	.813	24	–	6	.800
No. 16 BYU	12	–	4	.750	25	–	7	.781
UTEP	9	–	7	.563	18	–	12	.600
San Diego State	8	–	8	.500	15	–	12	.556
Hawaii	7	–	9	.438	14	–	13	.519
New Mexico	6	–	10	.375	11	–	15	.423
Air Force	3	–	13	.188	9	–	18	.333
Colorado State	1	–	15	.063	3	–	24	.111

Rankings from AP Poll^[42]

Division I independents

A total of 46 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (27–2) had both the best winning percentage (.931) and the most wins.^[43]

1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 1 DePaul		–		–	27	–	2	.931
No. 7 Notre Dame		–		–	23	–	6	.793
Southern Mississippi		–		–	20	–	7	.741
James Madison		–		–	21	–	9	.700
Fordham		–		–	19	–	9	.679
Cleveland State		–		–	18	–	9	.667
Stetson		–		–	18	–	9	.667
Saint Peter's		–		–	17	–	9	.654
Tennessee State		–		–	17	–	9	.654
Marquette		–		–	20	–	11	.645
Old Dominion		–		–	18	–	10	.643
Penn State		–		–	17	–	10	.630
St. Francis (Pa.)		–		–	17	–	10	.630
Siena		–		–	17	–	10	.630
South Carolina		–		–	17	–	10	.630
Dayton		–		–	18	–	11	.621
Long Island		–		–	18	–	11	.621
Texas–Pan American		–		–	18	–	11	.621
Illinois State		–		–	16	–	11	.593
Wagner		–		–	16	–	11	.593
UNLV		–		–	16	–	12	.571
William & Mary		–		–	16	–	12	.571
North Texas State		–		–	15	–	12	.556
Southeastern Louisiana		–		–	14	–	13	.519
Iona		–		–	15	–	14	.517
Richmond		–		–	15	–	14	.517
Fairfield		–		–	13	–	13	.500
UNC Wilmington		–		–	13	–	13	.500
New Orleans		–		–	13	–	14	.481
Towson State		–		–	13	–	14	.481
East Carolina		–		–	12	–	14	.462
Fairleigh Dickinson		–		–	12	–	14	.462
Valparaiso		–		–	12	–	15	.444
Campbell		–		–	11	–	16	.407
George Mason		–		–	10	–	16	.385
St. Francis (N.Y.)		–		–	10	–	16	.385
Navy		–		–	9	–	16	.360
Robert Morris		–		–	9	–	18	.333
Baptist		–		–	8	–	19	.296
Northern Iowa		–		–	8	–	19	.296
Army		–		–	7	–	19	.269
Portland State		–		–	7	–	20	.259
Manhattan		–		–	6	–	20	.231
Nicholls State		–		–	6	–	22	.214
Baltimore		–		–	5	–	21	.192
Catholic		–		–	4	–	20	.167

Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, & Villanova	John Pinone, Villanova

All five teams finished with a 2–2 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Player	School	PPG	Player	School	RPG	Player	School	FG%	Player	School	FT%
Points per game			Rebounds per game			Field-goal percentage			Free-throw percentage
Zam Fredrick	S. Carolina	28.9	Darryl Watson	Miss. Valley St.	14.0	Steve Johnson	Oregon St.	74.6	Dave Hidahl	Portland St.	92.7
Mike Ferrara	Colgate	28.6	Wayne Sappleton	Loyola (IL)	13.4	Kevin Magee	UC Irvine	67.1	Jack Moore	Nebraska	92.2
Kevin Magee	UC Irvine	27.5	Michael Cage	San Diego St.	13.1	Orlando Woolridge	Notre Dame	65.0	Steve Bontrager	Oral Roberts	90.1
Lewis Lloyd	Drake	26.3	Kevin Magee	UC Irvine	12.5	Buck Williams	Maryland	64.7	Jim Stack	Northwestern	90.0
Rob Williams	Houston	25.0	LaSalle Thompson	Texas	12.3	Thomas Best	Lafayette	64.3	John Leonard	Manhattan	89.1

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Indiana won its fourth NCAA title with a 63–50 win over North Carolina and coach Dean Smith. Precocious sophomore Isiah Thomas was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player in a title game delayed due to the shooting of President Ronald Reagan.

Final Four

Played at The Spectrum in Philadelphia

National semifinals			National finals

E1	Virginia	65

W2	North Carolina	78
			W2	North Carolina	50

			ME3	Indiana	63
ME3	Indiana	67

MW1	LSU	49	Third place


			E1	Virginia	78

			MW1	LSU	74

National Invitation tournament

Coach Nolan Richardson led Tulsa to the NIT Championship in his first year as a Division I head coach – an 86–84 win over Syracuse. The Golden Hurricane's Greg Stewart was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

NIT Semifinals and Finals

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Semifinals		Finals

Syracuse	70

Purdue	63
		Syracuse	84

		Tulsa	86
West Virginia	87

Tulsa	89	Third place


		Purdue	75

		West Virginia	72

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

**Consensus First Team**
Player	Position	Class	Team
Mark Aguirre	F	Junior	DePaul
Danny Ainge	G	Senior	Brigham Young
Steve Johnson	C	Senior	Oregon State
Ralph Sampson	C	Sophomore	Virginia
Isiah Thomas	G	Sophomore	Indiana

**Consensus Second Team**
Player	Position	Class	Team
Sam Bowie	C	Sophomore	Kentucky
Jeff Lamp	F	Senior	Virginia
Durand Macklin	F	Senior	LSU
Kelly Tripucka	F	Senior	Notre Dame
Danny Vranes	F	Senior	Utah
Al Wood	F	Senior	North Carolina

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

Team	Former Coach	New Coach
Appalachian State	Bobby Cremins	Kevin Cantwell
Brown	Joe Mullaney	Mike Cingiser
Drake	Bob Ortegel	Gary Garner
Georgia Tech	Dwane Morrison	Bobby Cremins
Gonzaga	Dan Fitzgerald	Jay Hillock
Hardin–Simmons	Jim Shuler	Jim Hatfield
Mississippi State	Jim Hatfield	Bob Boyd
Providence	Gary Walters	Joe Mullaney
Rice	Mike Schuler	Tommy Suitts
Richmond	Lou Goetz	Dick Tarrant
Saint Joseph's	Jim Lynam	Jim Boyle
Samford	Cliff Wettig	Mike Hanks
Seton Hall	Bill Raftery	Hoddy Mahon
Tulane	Roy Danforth	Ned Fowler
UCLA	Larry Brown	Larry Farmer
UMass	Ray Wilson	Tom McLaughlin
Vanderbilt	Richard Schmidt	C. M. Newton

References

^ "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^ "And A Little Child Led Them". Sports Illustrated. April 6, 1981. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
^ What a night to be in Bloomington
^ ^a ^b ^c "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^ "2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). (p. 22). NCAA. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
^ "This Court Transplant Took". Sports Illustrated. March 1, 1982. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 Big East Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Big East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ Men's Basketball Award Winners, Big Sky Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 A-10 men's basketball media guide – Awards section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic 10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ America East Men's Basketball Players of the Year, America East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 MAC Men's BAsketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 MEAC men's basketball media guide Archived 2012-09-22 at the Wayback Machine, MEAC, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 Horizon League Men's Basketball Record Book Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Horizon League, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 MVC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Missouri Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 OVC men's basketball media guide, Ohio Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide- Honors Section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Pacific-10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 Big West Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Big West Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ "Macklin Named SEC Top Player". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. March 4, 1981. p. 45. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Macklin named SEC Player of Year". The State Journal. Frankfort, Kentucky. March 5, 1981. p. 11. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ "GSU cagers land on all-SWAC team". The Shreveport Times. March 5, 1981. p. 31. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "GSU honors Williams, Jackson". The Shreveport Times. April 23, 1981. p. 33. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ 2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ Atlantic Sun men's basketball record book, Atlantic Sun Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ 2009–10 WAC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Western Athletic Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06
^ Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Big East Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Ivy Group Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary
^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
^ "Men's Basketball 2018-19" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 105. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
^ "1980-81 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 23, 2024.

[1] "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2024.

[2] "And A Little Child Led Them". Sports Illustrated. April 6, 1981. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

[3] What a night to be in Bloomington

[ncaaruleshistory-4] "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.

[5] "2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). (p. 22). NCAA. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

[6] "This Court Transplant Took". Sports Illustrated. March 1, 1982. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

[7] *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[8] "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2010.

[9] 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2010-08-06

[10] 2008–09 Big East Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Big East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[11] 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[12] Men's Basketball Award Winners, Big Sky Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[13] 2008–09 A-10 men's basketball media guide – Awards section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic 10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[14] America East Men's Basketball Players of the Year, America East Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[15] Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2010-08-06

[16] 2008–09 MAC Men's BAsketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[17] 2008–09 MEAC men's basketball media guide Archived 2012-09-22 at the Wayback Machine, MEAC, retrieved 2010-08-06

[18] 2008–09 Horizon League Men's Basketball Record Book Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Horizon League, retrieved 2010-08-06

[19] 2008–09 MVC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Missouri Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[20] 2008–09 OVC men's basketball media guide, Ohio Valley Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[21] 2008–09 Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide- Honors Section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Pacific-10 Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[22] 2008–09 Big West Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Big West Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[23] "Macklin Named SEC Top Player". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. March 4, 1981. p. 45. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[24] "Macklin named SEC Player of Year". The State Journal. Frankfort, Kentucky. March 5, 1981. p. 11. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[25] 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[26] 2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[27] "GSU cagers land on all-SWAC team". The Shreveport Times. March 5, 1981. p. 31. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[28] "GSU honors Williams, Jackson". The Shreveport Times. April 23, 1981. p. 33. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[29] 2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[30] Atlantic Sun men's basketball record book, Atlantic Sun Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[31] 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[32] 2009–10 WAC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Western Athletic Conference, retrieved 2010-08-06

[varsitypride-33] Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments

[34] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Big East Conference Season Summary

[35] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Big Eight Conference Season Summary

[36] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Ivy Group Season Summary

[37] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary

[38] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary

[39] "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.

[40] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Southeastern Conference Season Summary

[41] "Men's Basketball 2018-19" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 105. Retrieved February 8, 2019.

[42] sports-reference.com 1980-81 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary

[43] "1980-81 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 23, 2024.

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