# 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University. The Blue Devils were coached by Mike Krzyzewski in his first year with the team. The club ranked fifth in the ACC. The team played its home games in the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 30* | Stetson | W 67–49 | 1–0 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,100) Durham, North Carolina |
| December 2* | at South Florida | W 83–72 | 2–0 | Sun Dome (6,023) Tampa, Florida |
| December 5* | vs. No. 10 North Carolina Big Four Tournament | L 76–78 | 2–1 | Greensboro Coliseum (15,333) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| December 6* | vs. N.C. State Big Four Tournament | L 60–74 | 2–2 | Greensboro Coliseum (15,333) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| December 9* | at Vanderbilt | W 72–69 $^{OT}$ | 3–2 | Memorial Gymnasium (15,636) Nashville, Tennessee |
| December 12 | No. 6 Virginia | L 79–91 | 3–3 (0–1) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| December 19* | Brown Iron Duke Classic | W 91–60 | 4–3 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (6,425) Durham, North Carolina |
| December 20* | Detroit Iron Duke Classic | W 111–71 | 5–3 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (6,450) Durham, North Carolina |
| December 22* | Pennsylvania | W 88–82 | 6–3 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (7,450) Durham, North Carolina |
| December 28 | vs. New Orleans Sugar Bowl Tournament | W 77–63 | 7–3 | Louisiana Superdome (3,000) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| December 29* | vs. Tennessee Sugar Bowl Tournament | L 69–90 | 7–4 | Louisiana Superdome (4,610) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| January 10 | at No. 8 Maryland Rivalry | L 79–94 | 7–5 (0–2) | Cole Field House (13,197) College Park, Maryland |
| January 14 | No. 5 Wake Forest | L 73–76 | 7–6 (0–3) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| January 17 | at No. 17 North Carolina Rivalry | L 65–80 | 7–7 (0–4) | Carmichael Auditorium (10,000) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| January 19* | George Mason | W 60–51 | 8–7 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (6,500) Durham, North Carolina |
| January 21 | at N.C. State | W 56–47 | 9–7 (1–4) | Reynolds Coliseum (12,100) Raleigh, North Carolina |
| January 24 | No. 19 Clemson | W 75–57 | 10–7 (2–4) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| January 27* | at Rutgers | W 53–51 | 11–7 | Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,575) Piscataway, New Jersey |
| January 31 | at No. 1 Virginia | L 47–68 | 11–8 (2–5) | University Hall (9,000) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| February 4 | at Georgia Tech | W 82–68 | 12–8 (3–5) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum (2,532) Atlanta, Georgia |
| February 7 | No. 13 Maryland | W 55–54 | 13–8 (4–5) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| February 14 | at No. 7 Wake Forest | L 52–58 | 13–9 (4–6) | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum (8,200) Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| February 21 | N.C. State | L 51–52 | 13–10 (4–7) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina |
| February 21 | Georgia Tech | W 83–56 | 14–10 (5–7) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| February 25 | at Clemson | L 52–54 $^{OT}$ | 14–11 (5–8) | Littlejohn Coliseum (10,500) Clemson, South Carolina |
| February 28 | No. 11 North Carolina | W 66–65 $^{OT}$ | 15–11 (6–8) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,564) Durham, North Carolina |
| March 5* | vs. Maryland ACC tournament • Quarterfinals | L 53–56 | 15–12 | Capital Centre (8,564) Landover, Maryland |
| March 12* | North Carolina A&T National Invitation Tournament • First Round | W 79–69 | 16–12 | Cameron Indoor Stadium (8,035) Durham, North Carolina |
| March 16* | Alabama National Invitation Tournament • Second Round | W 75–70 | 17–12 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina |
| March 20* | at Purdue National Invitation Tournament • Quarterfinals | L 69–81 | 17–13 | Mackey Arena (12,754) West Lafayette, Indiana |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 28 | Gene Banks | San Antonio Spurs |