# 1980–81 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team represented Marshall University during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Thundering Herd, led by second-year head coach Bob Zuffelato, played their home games at the Cam Henderson Center as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 18–10, 8–8 in SoCon play to finish tied in seventh place.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 28, 1980* | | at Charleston (W.Va.) | W 74–54 | 1–0 | |
| Dec 1, 1980* | | South Carolina | W 116–85 | 2–0 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Dec 6, 1980* | | at West Virginia | W 76–73 | 3–0 | WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV |
| Dec 8, 1980 | | Davidson | L 73–79 | 3–1 (0–1) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Dec 13, 1980* | | Ohio Wesleyan | W 95–69 | 4–1 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Dec 15, 1980* | | Morehead State | W 95–85 | 5–1 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Dec 20, 1980* | | Pitt-Johnstown | W 109–87 | 6–1 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Dec 22, 1980* | | at Ohio | W 65–59 | 7–1 | Convocation Center Athens, OH |
| Dec 29, 1980* | | at No. 9 Maryland | L 89–114 | 7–2 | Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland |
| Dec 30, 1980* | | vs. Bowling Green State | W 87–85 | 8–2 | Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland |
| Jan 3, 1981 | | VMI | W 90–81 | 9–2 (1–1) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Jan 5, 1981 | | Appalachian State | W 58–56 | 10–2 (2–1) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Jan 10, 1981 | | at Davidson | L 76–104 | 10–3 (2–2) | Johnston Gym Davidson, NC |
| Jan 12, 1981 | | at Chattanooga | L 79–95 | 10–4 (2–3) | Maclellan Gymnasium Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Jan 17, 1981 | | East Tennessee State | W 78–66 | 11–4 (3–3) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Jan 19, 1981 | | Furman | W 98–80 | 12–4 (4–3) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Jan 24, 1981 | | at Appalachian State | L 56–75 | 12–5 (4–4) | Varsity Gymnasium Boone, North Carolina |
| Jan 26, 1981 | | at VMI | W 63–53 | 13–5 (5–4) | VMI Field House Lexington, Virginia |
| Jan 31, 1981 | | The Citadel | W 76–60 | 14–5 (6–4) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Feb 2, 1981 | | Western Carolina | W 82–74 | 15–5 (7–4) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Feb 7, 1981 | | at East Tennessee State | L 75–76 | 15–6 (7–5) | Memorial Center Johnson City, TN |
| Feb 9, 1981 | | at Western Carolina | L 78–80 | 15–7 (7–6) | Cullowhee, NC |
| Feb 14, 1981 | | Chattanooga | L 77–89 | 15–8 (7–7) | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Feb 16, 1981* | | Liberty | W 75–63 | 16–8 | Cam Henderson Center Huntington, WV |
| Feb 19, 1981 | | at Furman | L 90–92 | 16–9 (7–8) | Greenville Memorial Auditorium Greenville, SC |
| Feb 23, 1981 | | at The Citadel | W 87–79 | 17–9 (8–8) | McAlister Field House Charleston, SC |
| SoCon tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1981* | (7) | at (2) Davidson Quarterfinals | W 90–77 | 18–9 | Roanoke Civic Center Roanoke, VA |
| Mar 6, 1981* | (7) | vs. (3) Appalachian State Semifinals | L 62–77 | 18–10 | Roanoke Civic Center Roanoke, VA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||