Puneet Varma (Editor)

1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

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Preseason AP #1
  
Indiana Hoosiers

NCAA Champions
  
Louisville Cardinals

National championship
  
Market Square Arena

NCAA Tournament
  
1980

Helms National Champions
  
Louisville Cardinals

Tournament dates
  
March 6, 1980 – March 24, 1980

Other champions
  
Virginia Cavaliers (NIT)

Ncaa champion
  
1979–80 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

Similar
  
2004–05 NCAA Division I, 1999–2000 NCAA Division I, 2005–06 NCAA Division I, 2008–09 NCAA Division I, 2009–10 NCAA Division I

The 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 17, 1979, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 24, 1980, at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. The Louisville Cardinals won their first NCAA national championship with a 59–54 victory over the UCLA Bruins.

Contents

Rule changes

  • Officials were ordered to more strictly enforce foul rules already on the books, including bench decorum, hand-checking and charging fouls.
  • An excessive time-out will result in two free throws (technical foul), a rule which would figure prominently in the outcome of the 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

    • Pre-season polls

    The top 20 from the AP and UPI polls during the pre-season.

    Conference winners and tournaments

    Note: From 1975 to 1982, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1980 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did. The ECAC North was a separate, conventional conference.

    NCAA tournament

    Louisville's "doctors of dunk" brought Denny Crum his first NCAA title with a 59–54 win over surprise finalist UCLA and coach Larry Brown. Wooden Award winner Darrell Griffith was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

    Final Four

    Played at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Third Place – Purdue 75, Iowa 58

    • National Invitation Tournament

    The first year of the Ralph Sampson era ended with a Virginia Cavaliers NIT Championship – a 58–55 win over Minnesota. 7'4 freshman Sampson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

    NIT semifinals and final

    Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

  • Third Place – Illinois 84, UNLV 74

    • Major player of the year awards

  • Wooden Award: Darrell Griffith, Louisville
  • Naismith Award: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
  • Associated Press Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
  • UPI Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
  • NABC Player of the Year: Michael Brooks, La Salle
  • Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Mark Aguirre, DePaul
  • Adolph Rupp Trophy: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
  • Sporting News Player of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Louisville

    • Major coach of the year awards

  • Associated Press Coach of the Year: Ray Meyer, DePaul
  • Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Ray Meyer, DePaul
  • NABC Coach of the Year: Lute Olson, Iowa
  • UPI Coach of the Year: Ray Meyer, DePaul
  • Sporting News Coach of the Year: Lute Olson, Iowa

    • Other major awards

  • Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jim Sweeney, Boston College
  • Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Michael Brooks, La Salle
  • NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in NYC): Jeff Ruland, Iona

    • Coaching changes

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

    References

    1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA