# 1980–81 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Bill Cofield, coaching his 5th season with the Badgers. The team played their home games at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wisconsin and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Forward Claude Gregory was the team's leading scorer with 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds in 27 games. Other statistical leaders included guard Danny Hastings with 3.1 assists.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| December 1* | at Alabama | L 75–90 | 0–1 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| December 5* | Kentucky State | W 77–65 | 1–1 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 6* | UW Green Bay | W 68–66 $^{2OT}$ | 2–1 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 9* | Ball State | W 85–72 | 3–1 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 12* | at Davidson | L 63–67 | 3–2 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC |
| December 13* | at Charlotte | W 71–63 | 4–2 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC |
| December 22* | Texas Southern | W 58–49 | 5–2 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 31* | Central Michigan | W 69–62 | 6–2 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 8 | at Minnesota | L 60–76 | 6–3 (0—1) | Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| January 10 | at Northwestern | L 48–50 | 6–4 (0—2) | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois |
| January 15 | Iowa | L 66–76 | 6–5 (0—3) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 17 | Purdue | L 69–71 | 6–6 (0—4) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 22 | Michigan State | W 63–62 | 7–6 (1—4) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 24 | at Illinois | W 54–45 | 8–6 (2—4) | Assembly Hall Champaign, Illinois |
| January 27 | at Ohio State | L 67–71 | 8–7 (2—5) | St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio |
| January 31 | Michigan | L 67–74 | 8–8 (2—6) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 5 | at Indiana | L 64–89 | 8–9 (2—7) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana |
| February 7 | at Michigan | L 64–71 | 8–10 (2—8) | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| February 12 | Illinois | L 65–84 | 8–11 (2—9) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 14 | Indiana | L 52–59 | 8–12 (2—10) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 19 | at Michigan State | L 65–74 | 8–13 (2—11) | Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan |
| February 21 | Ohio State | W 77–63 | 9–13 (3—11) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 26 | at Purdue | L 61–72 | 9–14 (3—12) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| February 28 | at Iowa | L 75–96 | 9–15 (3—13) | Iowa Field House Iowa City, Iowa |
| March 5 | Northwestern | W 60–57 | 10–15 (4—13) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| March 7 | Minnesota | W 60–58 | 11–15 (5—13) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| March 10* | Marquette | L 53–64 | 11–16 (5—13) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 41 | Claude Gregory | Washington Bullets |
| 7 | 157 | Larry Petty | Los Angeles Lakers |