# 1980–81 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team

The 1980–81 Syracuse Orangemen men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1980–81 academic year.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 29* | | Columbia | W 108–81 | 1–0 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| December 5* | | Kent State | W 81–65 | 2–0 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| December 6* | No. 18 | No. 4 Maryland Carrier Classic | L 73–83 | 2–1 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| December 10* | | at Detroit | W 93–79 | 3–1 | Joe Louis Arena Detroit, Michigan |
| December 12* 8:30 p.m. | No. 20 | at Illinois State | W 64–52 | 4–1 | Horton Field House (6,086) Normal, Illinois |
| December 16* | | Penn State | W 77–63 | 5–1 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| December 29* | | Colgate | W 100–84 | 6–1 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| January 3* | | at Canisius | W 88–72 | 7–1 | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, NY |
| January 5 | | at Connecticut Rivalry | L 59–78 | 7–2 (0–1) | New Haven Coliseum New Haven, Connecticut |
| January 7* | | Niagara | W 107–84 | 8–2 (0–1) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| January 10 | | Villanova | L 65–69 | 8–3 (0–2) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| January 14 | | Providence | W 84–66 | 9–3 (1–2) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| January 17 | | at Georgetown | L 57–62 | 9–4 (1–3) | McDonough Gymnasium Washington, D. C. |
| January 21 | | at Boston College | L 63–66 | 9–5 (1–4) | Roberts Center Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
| January 24 | | St. John's | W 79–71 | 10–5 (2–4) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| January 26* | | at St. Bonaventure | L 71–74 | 10–6 (2–4) | Reilly Center St. Bonaventure, NY |
| January 30* | | Old Dominion | W 71–58 | 11–6 (2–4) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| February 1* | | at DePaul | L 69–91 | 11–7 (2–4) | Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, Illinois |
| February 4 | | Seton Hall | W 74–62 | 12–7 (3–4) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| February 7 | | at Providence | W 81–67 | 13–7 (4–4) | Providence Civic Center Providence, RI |
| February 9 | | Georgetown | W 66–64 | 14–7 (5–4) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| February 14 | | Connecticut Rivalry | L 63–65 | 14–8 (5–5) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| February 17 | | at Villanova | L 78–88 | 14–9 (5–6) | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 21 | | at Seton Hall | L 65–66 | 14–10 (5–7) | Walsh Gymnasium South Orange, NJ |
| February 25 | | Boston College | W 90–86 | 15–10 (6–7) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| February 28 | | at St. John's | L 73–82 | 15–11 (6–8) | Carnesecca Arena New York, NY |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| March 5 | (6) | (3) St. John's Quarterfinals | W 71–66 | 16–11 (6–8) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| March 6 | (6) | (2) Georgetown Semifinals | W 67–53 | 17–11 (6–8) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| March 7 | (6) | (4) Villanova Championship game | W 83–80 $^{3OT}$ | 18–11 (6–8) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| NIT ||||||
| March 13* | | Marquette First round | W 88–81 | 19–11 (6–8) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| March 16* | | Holy Cross Second round | W 77–57 | 20–11 (6–8) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| March 19* | | Michigan Quarterfinals | W 91–76 | 21–11 (6–8) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| March 23* | | vs. Purdue Semifinals | W 70–63 | 22–11 (6–8) | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| March 25* | | vs. Tulsa Finals | L 84–86 $^{OT}$ | 22–12 (6–8) | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||