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.

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, Pennsylvania
NCAA Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Helms National Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Other champions	Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Ralph Sampson, Virginia Cavaliers (Naismith) Danny Ainge, BYU Cougars (Wooden)
Player of the Year (Helms)	Mark Aguirre, DePaul Blue Demons
← 1979–80 1981–82 →

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 cancelling 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

Main article: 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

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
			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 Miss –   – 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

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

NCAA tournament

Main article: 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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

Main article: 1981 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

Main article: 1981 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

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

• Wooden Award: Danny Ainge, BYU
• Naismith Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Helms Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• UPI Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• NABC Player of the Year: Danny Ainge, BYU
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Ralph Miller, Oregon State
• NABC Coach of the Year: Jack Hartman, Kansas State & Ralph Miller, Oregon State
• UPI Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State
• CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Dale Brown, LSU
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Dale Brown, LSU

Other major awards

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Terry Adolph, West Texas State
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): John Pinone, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Gary Springer, Iona

Coaching changes

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