# 1980–81 James Madison Dukes men's basketball team

The 1980–81 James Madison Dukes men's basketball team represented James Madison University during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Dukes, led by ninth year head coach Lou Campanelli, played their home games at the on-campus Godwin Hall and were members of the southern division of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The 1980–81 Dukes won the 1981 ECAC South tournament by beating Richmond and therefore received an automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament. This was the first team from James Madison to make the NCAA Division I tournament. As the tenth-seed in the East Region, the Dukes beat Georgetown before being beaten in the second round by Notre Dame.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| November 28, 1980 | | at No. 17 St. John's Lapchick Tournament Opening Round | L 58-67 | 0-1 | Alumni Hall Jamaica, NY |
| November 29, 1980 | | vs. Weber State | W 49-47 | 1-1 | Alumni Hall Jamaica, NY |
| December 2, 1980 | | Salisbury State | W 74-54 | 2-1 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| December 6, 1980 | | West Virginia Tech | L 78-80 | 2-2 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| December 10, 1981 | | at Baltimore | W 87-62 | 3-2 | Baltimore Civic Center Baltimore, MD |
| December 13, 1980 | | Rider | W 70-52 | 4-2 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| December 19, 1980 | | vs. Texas A&M | L 47-51 | 4-3 | Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, VA |
| December 20, 1980 | | vs. Pittsburgh | W 77-69 | 5-3 | Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, VA |
| December 30, 1980 | | No. 3 Virginia | L 52-53 | 5-4 | Godwin Hall (10,000) Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 3, 1981 | | at George Mason | W 54-37 | 6-4 | GMU Fieldhouse Fairfax, VA |
| January 7, 1981 | | North Carolina Wesleyan | W 97-57 | 7-4 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 10, 1981 | | Richmond | W 92-73 | 8-4 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 14, 1981 | | Baltimore | W 90-59 | 9-4 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 17, 1981 | | at William & Mary | L 42-44 | 9-5 | William & Mary Hall Williamsburg, VA |
| January 21, 1981 | | Old Dominion Rivalry | L 63-65 $^{2OT}$ | 9-6 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 24, 1981 | | George Mason | W 70-53 | 10-6 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 26, 1981 | | at VCU | L 49-50 | 10-7 | Richmond Coliseum Richmond, VA |
| January 28, 1981 | | Navy | W 73-55 | 11-7 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| January 31, 1981 | | Charleston Southern | W 77-52 | 12-7 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| February 4, 1981 | | at Towson State | W 73-58 | 13-7 | Towson Center Towson, MD |
| February 7, 1981 | | William & Mary | W 72-60 | 14-7 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| February 12, 1981 | | VCU | L 57-58 | 14-8 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| February 18, 1981 | | at Old Dominion Rivalry | W 73-65 | 15-8 | Norfolk Scope Norfolk, VA |
| February 21, 1981 | | Shippensburg | W 77-68 | 16-8 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| February 25, 1981 | | Towson State | W 85-53 | 17-8 | Godwin Hall Harrisonburg, VA |
| February 28, 1981 | | at Richmond | W 69-63 | 18-8 | Robins Center Richmond, VA |
| ECAC South tournament ||||||
| March 6, 1981 | (2) | vs. (3) William & Mary Semifinals | W 44-42 | 19-8 | Hampton Coliseum Hampton, VA |
| March 7, 1981 | (2) | vs. (5) Richmond Finals | W 69-60 | 20-8 | Hampton Coliseum Hampton, VA |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 12, 1981 | (10 E) | vs. (7 E) Georgetown First round | W 61-55 | 21-8 | Providence Civic Center (8,273) Providence, RI |
| March 14, 1981 | (10 E) | vs. (2 E) No. 7 Notre Dame Quarterfinals | L 45-54 | 21-9 | Providence Civic Center Providence, RI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||
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