# 1979–80 Bradley Braves men's basketball team

The 1979–80 Bradley Braves men's basketball team represented Bradley University during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves were members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and played their home games at Robertson Memorial Field House in Peoria, Illinois. The team was led by head coach Dick Versace and finished the season at 23–10 (13–3 MVC). After finishing atop the Missouri Valley regular season standings by a 4-game margin, Bradley won the MVC tournament. The Braves earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the Midwest region – the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 25 years. The Braves fell to No. 6 seed Texas A&M, 55–53, in the opening round.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 30, 1979* | | vs. No. 2 Kentucky Great Alaska Shootout | L 58–79 | 0–1 | Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 1, 1979* | | vs. Pacific Great Alaska Shootout | W 80–68 | 1–1 | Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 2, 1979* | | vs. Lamar Great Alaska Shootout | W 82–75 | 2–1 | Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 5, 1979* | | at Loyola (IL) | L 80–83 | 2–2 | Alumni Gym Chicago, Illinois |
| Dec 8, 1979* | | at Butler | L 63–65 | 2–3 | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Dec 12, 1979* | | Portland State | W 90–65 | 3–3 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Dec 15, 1979* | | Rollins | W 78–60 | 4–3 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Dec 17, 1979* | | Quincy | W 77–67 | 5–3 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Dec 21, 1979* | | vs. Loyola (IL) | L 76–84 | 5–4 | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois |
| Dec 22, 1979* | | at Northwestern | L 64–67 | 5–5 | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois |
| Dec 29, 1979* | | at No. 4 DePaul | L 61–68 | 5–6 | Alumni Hall Chicago, Illinois |
| Jan 3, 1980* | | Illinois State | W 62–57 | 6–6 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Jan 5, 1980* | | Texas–Arlington | W 79–68 | 7–6 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Jan 7, 1980 | | New Mexico State | W 71–60 | 8–6 (1–0) | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Jan 10, 1980 | | Wichita State | W 67–66 | 9–6 (2–0) | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Jan 12, 1980 | | at Drake | W 75–70 | 10–6 (3–0) | Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa |
| Jan 17, 1980 | | at West Texas A&M | L 78–79 | 10–7 (3–1) | WT Fieldhouse Canyon, Texas |
| Feb 18, 1980 | | at Creighton | W 76–75 | 20–8 (13–2) | Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha, Nebraska |
| Feb 23, 1980 | | at New Mexico State | L 89–90 | 20–9 (13–3) | Pan American Center Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| MVC Tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1980* | | Tulsa Quarterfinals | W 97–76 | 21–9 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Feb 29, 1980* | | Wichita State Semifinals | W 68–60 | 22–9 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| Mar 1, 1980* | | West Texas A&M Championship game | W 62–59 | 23–9 | Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 7, 1980* | (11 MW) | vs. (6 MW) Texas A&M First round | L 53–55 | 23–10 | UNT Coliseum Denton, Texas |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Central Time. ||||||
Source:

## Awards and honors

* Dick Versace – MVC Coach of the Year