1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

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

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  • 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

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Season outlook

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Pre-season polls

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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

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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

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Conferences

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Conference winners and tournaments

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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
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

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1980–81 ACC men's basketball standings
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

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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
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

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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

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Points per game
Rebounds per game
Field-goal percentage
Free-throw percentage
Player School PPG Player School RPG Player School FG% Player School FT%
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

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NCAA tournament

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Consensus All-American teams

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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

Major player of the year awards

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Major coach of the year awards

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Other major awards

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Coaching changes

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

Team Former
Coach
Interim
Coach
New
Coach
Reason
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

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  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
  4. ^ a b c "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.
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