# 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

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 Division I men's 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.

## Rule changes

* Officials were ordered to more strictly enforce foul rules already on the books, including bench decorum, hand-checking and charging fouls.
* Any mistaken attempt to call a time-out after a team runs out of time-outs results in a technical foul and two free throws for the opposing team. The rule would figure prominently in the outcome of the 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

## Season headlines

* ESPN launched on September 7, 1979, as the first all-sports television network and began televising college basketball in November. It took advantage of college basketball's rapidly growing popularity to begin a highly profitable relationship with the NCAA which greatly expanded television coverage of college basketball in the United States.
* The basketball-centered original Big East Conference began play. Working closely with ESPN, it rapidly developed a reputation as a powerhouse of college basketball and a dominating force in the sport.
* The ECAC North Conference began play, with 10 original members. It was renamed the North Atlantic Conference in 1988 and the America East Conference in 1996.
* The ECAC South Conference was founded, consisting of schools that participated in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Division I ECAC South tournaments for independents. The ECAC South did not play as a conference until the 1981–82 season; in the meantime, its members continued compete as independents during the regular season and seek a bid to the NCAA tournament via the ECAC's regional tournament. The conference was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 and the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.
* The Midwestern City Conference began play, with six original members. It was renamed the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985 and the Horizon League in 2001.
* The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 24 to 32 teams.
* The NCAA tournament expanded from 40 to 48 teams. For the first time, more than two teams from each conference could be selected for the tournament. The NCAA also instituted the "round-robin rule," requiring a conference to play either a single-round-robin regular-season format and a conference tournament or a double-round-robin regular-season format to be eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The expanded access of conference members to tournament bids combined with the "round-robin rule" made it difficult for Division I independents — most of which were located in the Northeastern United States — to get a tournament bid, greatly accelerating the decline in the number of independents, a decline which had begun in the 1974–75 season when the NCAA allowed more than one team per conference into the tournament for the first time. The Big East Conference formed as a result of the new tournament access requirements, and additional conferences would form by 1981.
* ESPN televised 23 games of the 1980 NCAA tournament, becoming the first television network to broadcast the early rounds of an NCAA Tournament.
* For the first time, none of the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament advanced to the Final Four.
* 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.
* The first year of the Ralph Sampson era ended with a Virginia Cavaliers National Invitation Tournament championship – a 58–55 win over Minnesota. Sampson, a 7-foot-4-inch (224 cm) freshman center, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll and UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
'Associated Press' :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Indiana (28) |
| 2 | Kentucky (5) |
| 3 | Duke (18) |
| 4 | Ohio State (7) |
| 5 | Notre Dame (1) |
| 6 | North Carolina |
| 7 | Louisiana State |
| 8 | UCLA |
| 9 | DePaul |
| 10 | Louisville |
| 11 | Purdue |
| 12 | Syracuse |
| 13 | Virginia |
| 14 | Texas A&M |
| 15 | Brigham Young |
| 16 | St. John's |
| 17 | Oregon State |
| 18 | Marquette |
| 19 | Georgetown |
| 20 | Kansas |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Indiana |
| 2 | Ohio State |
| 3 | Notre Dame |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | Kentucky |
| 6 | Duke |
| 7 | UCLA |
| 8 | Louisiana State |
| 9 | DePaul |
| 9 | Virginia |
| 11 | Purdue |
| 12 | Syracuse |
| 13 | Texas A&M |
| 14 | Louisville |
| 15 | St. John's |
| 16 | Oregon State |
| 17 | Brigham Young |
| 18 | Iowa |
| 19 | Marquette |
| 20 | UNLV |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Air Force Falcons | Division I independent | Western Athletic Conference |
| Alabama-Birmingham Blazers | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Boston College Eagles | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| Boston University Terriers | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Butler Bulldogs | Division I independent | Midwestern City Conference |
| Canisius Golden Griffins | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Colgate Raiders | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Connecticut Huskies | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| Evansville Purple Aces | Division I independent | Midwestern City Conference |
| Florida A&M Rattlers | Division II independent | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Georgetown Hoyas | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Metro Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | Big Sky Conference | West Coast Athletic Conference |
| Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors | Division I independent | Western Athletic Conference |
| Holy Cross Crusaders | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Loyola Chicago Ramblers | Division I independent | Midwestern City Conference |
| Maine Black Bears | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Division II independent |
| Morgan State Bears | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Division II independent |
| Nevada Wolf Pack | West Coast Athletic Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| New Hampshire Wildcats | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Niagara Purple Eagles | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| North Carolina Central Eagles | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Division II independent |
| Northeastern Huskies | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| Oklahoma City Chiefs | Trans America Athletic Conference | Midwestern City Conference |
| Oral Roberts Titans | Division I independent | Midwestern City Conference |
| Providence Friars | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| Rhode Island Rams | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| St. Bonaventure Brown Indians | Division I independent | Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) |
| St. John's Redmen | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| San Diego Toreros | Division I independent | West Coast Athletic Conference |
| Seton Hall Pirates | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| Syracuse Orangemen | Division I independent | Big East Conference |
| Vermont Catamounts | Division I independent | ECAC North Conference |
| VCU Rams | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Xavier Musketeers | Division I independent | Midwestern City Conference |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Maryland | Albert King, Maryland | 1980 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | Duke |
| Big East Conference | Georgetown, St. John's & Syracuse | John Duren, Georgetown | 1980 Big East men's basketball tournament | Providence Civic Center (Providence, Rhode Island) | Georgetown |
| Big Eight Conference | Missouri | Rolando Blackman, Kansas State | 1980 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals) | Kansas State |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | Don Newman, Idaho | 1980 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Dee Events Center (Ogden, Utah) | Weber State |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| East Coast Conference | St. Joseph's (East) Lafayette (West) | Michael Brooks, La Salle | 1980 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | The Palestra (Philadelphia) | La Salle |
| Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) | Villanova, Duquesne & Rutgers | Earl Belcher, St. Bonaventure | 1980 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament | Civic Arena (Pittsburgh) | Villanova |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | 1980 ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament | Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, New York) | Iona |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | 1980 ECAC South men's basketball tournament | Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia) | Old Dominion |
| ECAC North | Boston University & Northeastern | Rufus Harris, Maine & Ron Perry, Holy Cross | 1980 ECAC North men's basketball tournament | Hart Center (Worcester, Massachusetts) | Holy Cross |
| Ivy League | Penn | Peter Moss, Brown | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Conference | Louisville | Darrell Griffith, Louisville | 1980 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Freedom Hall (Louisville, Kentucky) | Louisville |
| Mid-American Conference | Toledo | Jim Swaney, Toledo | 1980 MAC men's basketball tournament | Crisler Arena (Ann Arbor, Michigan) | Toledo |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | North Carolina A&T State | James Ratiff, Howard | 1979 MEAC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina A&T State |
| Midwestern City Conference | Loyola (IL) | Calvin Garrett, Oral Roberts | 1980 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament | Roberts Municipal Stadium (Evansville, Indiana) | Oral Roberts |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Bradley | Lewis Lloyd, Drake | 1980 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Robertson Memorial Field House (Peoria, Illinois) | Bradley |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Murray State & Western Kentucky | Gary Hooker, Murray State | 1980 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | E. A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky) | Western Kentucky |
| Pacific-10 Conference | Oregon State | Don Collins, Washington State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Utah State | Dean Hunger, Utah State | 1980 PCAA men's basketball tournament | Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California) | San Jose State |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Kyle Macy, Kentucky | 1980 SEC men's basketball tournament | Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama) | LSU |
| Southern Conference | Furman | Jonathan Moore, Furman | 1980 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) | Furman |
| Southland Conference | Lamar | Andrew Toney, Southwestern Louisiana | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Texas A&M | Terry Teagle, Baylor | 1980 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | HemisFair Arena (San Antonio, Texas) | Texas A&M |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Alcorn State | Larry Smith, Alcorn State | 1980 SWAC men's basketball tournament | | Alcorn State |
| Sun Belt Conference | South Alabama | James Ray, Jacksonville | 1980 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) | VCU |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Northeast Louisiana | George Lett, Centenary | 1980 TAAC men's basketball tournament | Ewing Coliseum (Monroe, Louisiana) | Centenary |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | St. Mary's & San Francisco | Kurt Rambis, Santa Clara | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | BYU | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | 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 1980 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1980 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.

#### Conference standings

1979–80 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1979–80 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 Maryland11–3 .78624–7  .774 No. 15 North Carolina9–5 .64321–8  .724 NC State9–5 .64320–8  .714 Clemson8–6 .57123–9  .719 Virginia7–7 .50024–10  .706 No. 14 Duke †7–7 .50024–9  .727 Wake Forest4–10 .28613–14  .481 Georgia Tech1–13 .0718–18  .308 † 1980 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Big East men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 Syracuse5–1 .83326–4  .867 No. 13 St. John's5–1 .83324–5  .828 No. 11 Georgetown†5–1 .83326–6  .813 Connecticut3–3 .50020–9  .690 Boston College2–4 .33319–10  .655 Seton Hall1–5 .16714–13  .519 Providence0–6 .00011–16  .407 † 1980 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1979–80 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 16 Missouri11–3 .78625–6  .806 Kansas State †8–6 .57122–9  .710 Nebraska8–6 .57118–13  .581 Kansas7–7 .50015–14  .517 Colorado7–7 .50017–10  .630 Oklahoma6–8 .42915–12  .556 Iowa State5–9 .35711–16  .407 Oklahoma State4–10 .28610–17  .370 † 1980 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1979–80 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 17 Weber State †13–1 .92926–3  .897 Idaho9–5 .64317–10  .630 Montana8–6 .57117–11  .607 Montana State7–7 .50014–12  .538 Nevada5–9 .35710–19  .345 Idaho State5–9 .3579–17  .346 Northern Arizona5–9 .35714–12  .538 Boise State4–10 .28610–16  .385 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1979–80 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Indiana13–5 .72221–8  .724 No. 10 Ohio State12–6 .66721–8  .724 No. 20 Purdue11–7 .61123–10  .697 Iowa10–8 .55623–10  .697 Minnesota10–8 .55621–11  .656 Illinois8–10 .44422–13  .629 Michigan8–10 .44417–13  .567 Wisconsin7–11 .38915–14  .517 Michigan State6–12 .33312–15  .444 Northwestern5–13 .27810–17  .370 Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 ECAC North men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Boston University19–7 .73121–9  .700 Northeastern19–7 .73119–8  .704 Holy Cross †16–10 .61519–11  .633 Rhode Island14–12 .53815–13  .536 Maine14–12 .53815–13  .536 Canisius13–13 .50013–14  .481 Vermont4–4 .50012–15  .444 Niagara11–15 .42311–16  .407 Colgate8–17 .3208–17  .320 New Hampshire4–22 .1544–22  .154 † 1980 ECAC North tournament winner |
| 1979–80 ECC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Saint Joseph's10–1 .90921–9  .700 Temple8–3 .72714–12  .538 La Salle †7–4 .63622–9  .710 Hofstra6–5 .54514–14  .500 American5–6 .45513–14  .481 Drexel4–7 .36412–15  .444 West Lafayette13–3 .81321–8  .724 Bucknell13–3 .81320–7  .741 Delaware7–9 .4389–19  .321 Rider5–11 .31310–18  .357 Lehigh2–14 .1255–20  .200 West Chester1–15 .0633–23  .115 † 1980 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1979–80 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Villanova †7–3 .70023–8  .742 Duquesne6–3 .66718–10  .643 Rutgers6–3 .66714–14  .500 Pittsburgh5–4 .55617–12  .586 George Washington5–5 .50015–11  .577 St. Bonaventure1–3 .25016–11  .593 West Virginia4–4 .50015–14  .517 UMass0–9 .0002–24  .077 † 1980 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Penn11–3 .78617–12  .586 Princeton11–3 .78615–15  .500 Brown9–5 .64312–14  .462 Yale8–6 .57116–10  .615 Harvard6–8 .42911–15  .423 Columbia5–9 .35710–16  .385 Dartmouth3–11 .2146–20  .231 Cornell3–11 .2145–19  .208 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1979–80 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Louisville †12–0 1.00033–3  .917 Virginia Tech8–4 .66721–8  .724 Florida State7–5 .58322–9  .710 Memphis State5–7 .41713–14  .481 Saint Louis4–8 .33312–15  .444 Cincinnati3–9 .25013–15  .464 Tulane3–9 .25010–17  .370 † 1980 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Toledo †14–2 .87523–6  .793 Bowling Green State11–5 .68820–10  .667 Northern Illinois9–7 .56316–13  .552 Kent State7–9 .43816–11  .593 Ball State7–9 .43814–15  .483 Miami (Ohio)7–9 .4389–18  .333 Eastern Michigan7–9 .43811–16  .407 Western Michigan7–9 .43812–14  .462 Central Michigan6–10 .37512–13  .480 Ohio5–11 .3138–18  .308 † 1980 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Loyola-Chicago5–0 1.00019–10  .655 Oral Roberts †4–1 .80018–10  .643 Oklahoma City3–2 .60013–15  .464 Butler2–3 .40012–15  .444 Evansville1–4 .20018–10  .643 Xavier0–5 .0008–18  .308 † 1980 MCC tournament winner |
| 1979–80 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Bradley †13–3 .81323–10  .697 Creighton9–7 .56316–12  .571 West Texas State9–7 .56319–11  .633 Wichita State9–7 .56317–12  .586 Indiana State8–8 .50016–11  .593 New Mexico State8–8 .50017–10  .630 Drake6–10 .37515–12  .556 Tulsa5–11 .3138–19  .296 Southern Illinois5–11 .3139–17  .346 † 1980 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Kentucky †10–2 .83321–8  .724 Murray State10–2 .83323–8  .742 Morehead State7–5 .58315–12  .556 Eastern Kentucky7–5 .58315–12  .556 Middle Tennessee5–7 .41713–13  .500 Austin Peay State2–10 .1678–18  .308 Tennessee Tech1–11 .0835–21  .192 † 1980 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1979–80 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT ^#5 Oregon State16–2 .88926–3  .897 No. 18 Arizona State15–3 .83322–7  .759 Washington State14–4 .77822–6  .786 *UCLA12–6 .66717–9  .654 Washington9–9 .50018–10  .643 Arizona6–12 .33312–15  .444 USC5–13 .27812–15  .444 Oregon5–13 .27810–17  .370 Stanford5–13 .2787–19  .269 California3–15 .1678–19  .296 As of April 15, 1980 *Oregon State vacated all tournament games (0–1) due to NCAA sanctions. Disputed record (16-2, 26-4) ^UCLA vacated all tournament games (5–1) due to NCAA sanctions. Disputed record (22-10, 12-6) Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1979–80 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Utah State11–2 .84618–9  .667 Long Beach State11–3 .78622–12  .647 Fresno State8–4 .66717–7  .708 San Jose State†7–6 .53817–12  .586 Pacific7–7 .50015–16  .484 UC Santa Barbara5–9 .35711–16  .407 Cal State Fullerton4–10 .28610–17  .370 UC Irvine1–13 .0719–18  .333 † 1980 PCAA tournament winner | 1979–80 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Kentucky15–3 .83329–6  .829 No. 3 LSU †14–4 .77826–6  .813 Alabama12–6 .66718–12  .600 Tennessee12–6 .66718–11  .621 Ole Miss9–9 .50017–13  .567 Mississippi State7–11 .38913–14  .481 Vanderbilt7–11 .38913–13  .500 Georgia7–11 .38914–13  .519 Auburn5–13 .27810–18  .357 Florida2–16 .1117–21  .250 † 1980 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Furman †14–1 .93323–7  .767 Marshall10–6 .62517–12  .586 Western Carolina9–7 .56317–10  .630 East Tennessee State8–7 .53315–13  .536 Chattanooga7–9 .43813–14  .481 Appalachian State6–10 .37512–16  .429 The Citadel6–10 .37514–13  .519 VMI6–10 .37511–16  .407 Davidson4–11 .2678–18  .308 † 1980 Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1979–80 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Lamar8–2 .80022–11  .667 Southwestern Louisiana5–5 .50021–9  .700 Arkansas State5–5 .50015–12  .556 McNeese State5–5 .50015–12  .556 Louisiana Tech4–6 .40017–10  .630 Texas-Arlington3–7 .30014–13  .519 Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas A&M †14–2 .87526–8  .765 Arkansas13–3 .81321–8  .724 Texas10–6 .62519–11  .633 Texas Tech8–8 .50016–13  .552 Houston8–8 .50014–14  .500 SMU7–9 .43816–12  .571 Baylor6–10 .37511–16  .407 Rice4–12 .2507–19  .269 TCU2–14 .1257–19  .269 † 1980 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1979–80 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Alcorn State †8–0 1.00028–2  .933 Grambling6–4 .60022–8  .733 Jackson State3–5 .37515–14  .517 Southern3–6 .33314–15  .483 Texas Southern2–7 .2229–17  .346 Prairie View– –10–18  .357 Mississippi Valley State– –3–24  .111 † 1980 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1979–80 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT South Alabama12–2 .85723–6  .793 UAB10–4 .71418–12  .600 Jacksonville10–4 .71420–9  .690 UNC Charlotte9–5 .64315–12  .556 VCU †8–6 .57118–12  .600 Georgia State4–10 .2866–21  .222 New Orleans2–12 .1435–21  .192 South Florida1–13 .0716–21  .222 † 1980 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–80 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings ConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northeast Louisiana6–0 1.00018–10  .643 Pan American4–2 .66719–9  .679 Mercer3–3 .50016–12  .571 Centenary†3–3 .50015–14  .517 Samford3–3 .5008–19  .296 Houston Baptist2–4 .33314–13  .519 Hardin–Simmons0–6 .0005–21  .192 Arkansas–Little Rock– –16–10  .615 Northwestern State– –5–20  .200 Georgia Southern– –5–22  .185 † 1980 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1979–80 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT San Francisco11–5 .68822–7  .759 Loyola Marymount10–6 .62514–14  .500 Pepperdine9–7 .56317–10  .630 Portland9–7 .56317–11  .607 Saint Mary's9–7 .56313–14  .481 Gonzaga8–8 .50013–13  .500 Santa Clara8–8 .50013–14  .481 Seattle7–9 .43811–16  .407 San Diego1–15 .0635–20  .200 Rankings from AP Poll | 1979-80 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT BYU13–1 .92924–5  .828 UTEP10–4 .71420–8  .714 Utah10–4 .71418–10  .643 Wyoming5–9 .35718–10  .643 Colorado State5–9 .35710–17  .370 Hawaii4–10 .28613–14  .481 New Mexico3–11 .2147–21  .250 San Diego State3–11 .2146–21  .222 Air Force– –8–17  .320 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 43 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (26–2) had both the best winning percentage (.929) and the most wins.
1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 1 DePaul
* – –26–2
* .929
* No. 19 Iona*– –28–4
* .875
* Old Dominion– –25–5
* .833
* No. 9 Notre Dame
* – –23–8
* .742
* Tennessee State
* – –19–7
* .731
* UNLV
* – –23–9
* .719
* Saint Peter's– –22–9
* .710
* Cleveland State
* – –18–8
* .692
* James Madison– –18–8
* .692
* Illinois State
* – –20–9
* .690
* Marquette
* – –18–9
* .667
* UNC Wilmington
* – –19–10
* .655
* Penn State
* – –18–10
* .643
* Southern Mississippi
* – –17–10
* .630
* South Carolina
* – –16–11
* .593
* Campbell
* – –15–12
* .556
* East Carolina
* – –15–12
* .556
* Stetson
* – –15–12
* .556
* Long Island– –14–12
* .538
* Detroit
* – –14–13
* .519
* Navy– –14–13
* .519
* Wagner– –14–13
* .519
* Siena– –14–14
* .500
* Dayton
* – –13–14
* .481
* Fairleigh Dickinson– –13–14
* .481
* North Texas State
* – –13–14
* .481
* Richmond– –13–14
* .481
* Baltimore– –12–15
* .444
* William & Mary– –12–15
* .444
* Fordham**– –12–16
* .429
* St. Francis (Pa.)– –12–16
* .429
* St. Francis (N.Y.)– –11–15
* .423
* Fairfield– –11–16
* .407
* Army– –9–17
* .346
* Milwaukee
* – –9–17
* .346
* Towson State– –9–17
* .346
* Valparaiso
* – –8–18
* .308
* Catholic– –8–19
* .296
* Robert Morris– –7–19
* .269
* George Mason– –5–21
* .192
* Portland State
* – –5–21
* .192
* Manhattan– –4–22
* .154
* Baptist
* – –2–23
* .080
* * –Iona's 1980 NCAA Tournament games were vacated due to NCAA sanctions; disputed record 29–5. **Disputed record 11–17. Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Saint Joseph's | Michael Brooks, La Salle |
Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

### Statistical leaders

| Points per game | Points per game | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Field-goal percentage | Field-goal percentage | Field-goal percentage | Free-throw percentage | Free-throw percentage | Free-throw percentage |
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | FT% |
| Tony Murphy | Southern | 32.1 | Larry Smith | Alcorn St. | 15.1 | Steve Johnson | Oregon St. | 71.0 | Brian Magid | George Washington | 92.9 |
| Lewis Lloyd | Drake | 30.2 | Lewis Lloyd | Drake | 15.0 | Ron Charles | Michigan St. | 67.6 | Randy Nesbit | The Citadel | 92.5 |
| Harry Kelly | TX Southern | 29.0 | Rickey Brown | Mississippi St. | 14.4 | Cherokee Rhone | Centenary | 66.6 | Kyle Macy | Kentucky | 91.2 |
| Ken Page | New Mexico | 28.0 | Monti Davis | Tenn. St. | 13.3 | Roosevelt Bouie | Syracuse | 65.4 | Greg Manning | Maryland | 90.8 |
| James Tillman | Eastern Kentucky | 27.2 | Gary Hooker | Murray St. | 12.3 | Murray Brown | Florida St. | 64.6 | Eddie White | Gonzaga | 89.2 |

## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four

Played at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana
| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| E5 | Iowa | 72 | | | |
| MW2 | Louisville | 80 | | | |
| MW2 | Louisville | 80 | MW2 | Louisville | 59 |
| | | | W8 | UCLA | 54 |
| ME6 | Purdue | 62 | W8 | UCLA | 54 |
| W8 | UCLA | 67 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E5 | Iowa | 58 |
| | | | ME6 | Purdue | 75 |

### National Invitation tournament
#### NIT semifinals and finals

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| UNLV | 71 | | |
| Virginia | 90 | | |
| Virginia | 90 | Virginia | 58 |
| | | Minnesota | 55 |
| Minnesota | 65 | Minnesota | 55 |
| Illinois | 63 | Third place | Third place |
| | | UNLV | 74 |
| | | Illinois | 84 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Mark Aguirre | F | Sophomore | DePaul |
| Michael Brooks | F | Senior | La Salle |
| Joe Barry Carroll | C | Senior | Purdue |
| Darrell Griffith | G | Senior | Louisville |
| Kyle Macy | G | Senior | Kentucky |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Mike Gminski | C | Senior | Duke |
| Albert King | F | Junior | Maryland |
| Mike O'Koren | F | Senior | North Carolina |
| Kelvin Ransey | G | Senior | Ohio State |
| Sam Worthen | G | Senior | Marquette |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Darrell Griffith, Louisville
* Naismith Award: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
* Helms Player of the Year: Darrell Griffith, Louisville
* 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 New York City metro area): Jeff Ruland, Iona

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after the season ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Alabama | C. M. Newton | | Wimp Sanderson | Newton resigned to take the same position at Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt |
| Akron | Ken Cunningham | | Bob Rupert | |
| Army | Mike Krzyzewski | | Pete Gaudet | |
| Baptist | David Reese | | Phil Carter | |
| Boise State | Bus Connor | | Dave Leach | |
| Cal State Fullerton | Bobby Dye | | George McQuarn | |
| Colorado State | Jim Williams | | Tony McAndrews | |
| Cornell | Ben Bluitt | | Tom Miller | |
| Duke | Bill Foster | | Mike Krzyzewski | Duke hired the untested Krzyzewski after a 9–17 season at Army. |
| Fairleigh Dickinson | Al Lobalbo | | Don Feeley | |
| Florida | Ed Visscher | | Norm Sloan | |
| George Mason | John Linn | | Joe Harrington | |
| Georgia Southern | J. B. Scearce | | John Nelson | |
| Hofstra | Joe Harrington | | Dick Berg | |
| Iona | Jim Valvano | | Pat Kennedy | |
| Iowa State | Lynn Nance | Rick Samuels | Johnny Orr | Nance resigned mid-season after an 8–10 start. |
| Lafayette | Roy Chipman | | Will Rackley | |
| Lamar | Billy Tubbs | | Pat Foster | |
| Loyola (IL) | Jerry Lyne | | Gene Sullivan | |
| Loyola Marymount | Ron Jacobs | | Ed Goorjian | |
| Michigan | Johnny Orr | | Bill Frieder | |
| Navy | Bob Hamilton | | Paul Evans | |
| Nebraska | Joe Cipriano | | Moe Iba | Iba took the helm after Cipriano died of cancer in November 1980. |
| Nevada-Reno | Jim Carey | | Sonny Allen | |
| Niagara | Dan Raskin | | Peter Lonergan | |
| NC State | Norm Sloan | | Jim Valvano | Sloan resigned at NC State to take over at Florida, his alma mater, to rebuild the Gators as they moved into their new arena. |
| Northwestern Louisiana | Tynes Hildebrand | | Wayne Yates | |
| Ohio | Dale Bandy | | Danny Nee | |
| Oklahoma | Dave Bliss | | Billy Tubbs | |
| Pittsburgh | Tim Grgurich | | Roy Chipman | |
| Purdue | Lee Rose | | Gene Keady | |
| San Francisco | Dan Belluomini | | Pete Barry | |
| South Carolina | Frank McGuire | | Bill Foster | Hall of Fame coach McGuire retired after 30 years of coaching. |
| South Carolina State | Tim Autry | | Johnny Jones | |
| South Florida | Chip Conner | Gordon Gibbons | Lee Rose | Conner was fired in January and later replaced with Rose – fresh off of a Final Four at Purdue. |
| Southern Methodist | Sonny Allen | | Dave Bliss | |
| Southern Utah | Stan Jack | | Tom McCracken | |
| Tennessee Tech | Cliff Malpass | | Tom Deaton | |
| Tulsa | Jim King | Bill Franey | Nolan Richardson | King resigned due to family concerns in February. Tulsa hired reigning NJCAA championship coach Richardson. |
| UC Irvine | Tim Tift | | Bill Mulligan | |
| Valparaiso | Ken Rochlitz | | Tom Smith | |
| Western Kentucky | Gene Keady | | Clem Haskins | |
| Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Bob Gottlieb | | Bob Voight | |