# 1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

The 1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona College during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gaels, led by fifth-year head coach Jim Valvano, played their home games at the Hynes Athletic Center. The Gaels won the ECAC Metro Basketball tournament to receive a bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament. As the No. 6 seed in the East region, the Gaels defeated No. 11 seed Holy Cross in the opening round – the first and only NCAA Tournament victory in school history. Iona was narrowly defeated by No. 3 seed Georgetown in the round of 32. As of the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, this is the furthest any Iona men's team has ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
On February 21, Iona halted No. 2 Louisville’s 18-game winning streak by dominating the Cardinals, 77–60, at Madison Square Garden. It was the last game Louisville would lose during the season en route to winning the 1980 NCAA Championship. It was the 12th straight of what would end up being a 17-game win streak for the Gaels.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 30, 1979* | | vs. No. 14 Texas A&M Great Alaska Shootout | W 78–52 | 1–0 | Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 1, 1979* | | vs. Long Beach State Great Alaska Shootout | W 86–75 | 2–0 | Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 2, 1979* | | vs. No. 2 Kentucky Great Alaska Shootout | L 50–57 | 2–1 | Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska |
| Dec 8, 1979* | | at Saint Mary's | W 79–73 | 3–1 | McKeon Pavilion Moraga, California |
| Dec 11, 1979* | | at San Francisco | L 66–76 | 3–2 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 15, 1979* | | Fairleigh Dickinson | W 75–58 | 4–2 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 23, 1979* | | Belmont Abbey | W 54–48 | 5–2 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 28, 1979* | | Air Force Iona Classic | W 64–51 | 6–2 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 29, 1979* | | St. Bonaventure Iona Classic | W 75–67 | 7–2 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 3, 1980* | | Wichita State | W 84–70 | 8–2 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 5, 1980* | | at No. 18 Georgetown | L 84–95 | 8–3 | McDonough Gymnasium (3,805) Washington, D.C. |
| Jan 7, 1980* | | Baltimore | W 68–51 | 9–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 12, 1980* | | at Alabama-Birmingham | W 70–65 | 10–3 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 17, 1980* | | McNeese State | W 76–66 | 11–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 19, 1980* | | at Niagara | W 88–74 | 12–3 | Niagara Falls Convention Center Lewiston, New York |
| Jan 21, 1980* | | at Pittsburgh | L 63–75 | 12–4 | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 23, 1980* | | Colgate | W 54–49 | 13–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 26, 1980* | | at Holy Cross | W 82–67 | 14–4 | Hart Center Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Jan 30, 1980* | | at Wagner | W 77–73 | 15–4 | Sutter Gymnasium Staten Island, New York |
| Feb 2, 1980* | | at Fordham | W 65–59 | 16–4 | Rose Hill Gym Bronx, New York |
| Feb 4, 1980* | | Saint Peter's | W 65–62 | 17–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 7, 1980* | | Kansas | W 81–77 | 18–4 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| Feb 9, 1980* | | Army | W 67–54 | 19–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 11, 1980* | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 72–62 | 20–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 14, 1980* | | at Manhattan | W 70–57 | 21–4 | Draddy Gymnasium New York, New York |
| Feb 16, 1980* | | at Long Island University | W 85–72 | 22–4 | Schwartz Athletic Center |
| Feb 18, 1980* | | Siena | W 84–72 | 23–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 21, 1980* | | No. 2 Louisville | W 77–60 | 24–4 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| Feb 23, 1980* | | at Fairfield | W 74–53 | 25–4 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| ECAC Metro tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1980* | | Fairleigh Dickinson Quarterfinals | W 69–53 | 26–4 | Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York |
| Feb 29, 1980* | | vs. Siena Semifinals | W 76–70 | 27–4 | Alumni Hall Queens, New York |
| Mar 1, 1980* | | vs. Saint Peter's Championship game | W 64–46 | 28–4 | Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 7, 1980* | (6 E) No. 19 | vs. (11 E) Holy Cross First round | W 84–78 | 29–4 | Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| Mar 9, 1980* | (6 E) No. 19 | vs. (3 E) No. 11 Georgetown Second Round | L 71–74 | 29–5 | Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Jeff Ruland – All-American, Haggerty Award, Great Alaska Shootout Tournament MVP

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA club |
| 2 | 25 | Jeff Ruland | Golden State Warriors |