# 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 28, 1980, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 30, 1981, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Indiana Hoosiers won their fourth NCAA national championship with a 63–50 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

## Rule Changes

* On free throw attempts, players can now enter the free-throw lane after the foul shooter releases the ball. Previously, players had to wait until the ball touched either the rim or backboard before entering the lane.
* The time allotted to replace a disqualified (fouled out) player was reduced from 60 to 30 seconds.
* Conferences were allowed to experiment with the three-point shot in conference games only. The Southern Conference was the first to use the shot in their conference games, adopting a distance of 22 feet.

## Season headlines

* The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference played its first season as a Division I conference.
* At 7:06 p.m. on November 29, 1980, Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina scored a 23-foot (7 m) field goal against Middle Tennessee State. Not counting shots made during a February 1945 game between Columbia and Fordham that experimented with the three-point field goal, Carr became the first player to score on a three-point shot. The three-pointer was used as an experiment by several conferences until the rule was adopted nationally for the 1986-87 season.
* After a nearly even first half, the Indiana Hoosiers pulled away from the North Carolina Tar Heels to clinch the school's fourth national championship, 63–50, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The win marked Hoosiers had coach Bob Knight's second championship and marked North Carolina head coach Dean Smith's sixth trip to the Final Four without a championship. A dominant second half by sophomore Isiah Thomas led Indiana to the championship.
* The possibility of postponing or cancellng the March 30 NCAA championship game arose after an assassination attempt in which John Hinckley, Jr., shot President Ronald Reagan that day in Washington, D.C. Once it was confirmed that Reagan would survive, the game was played as scheduled.
* The NCAA used the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a computer ranking system, for the first time as an aid in evaluating teams for at-large selections and seeding in the NCAA tournament.
* Two No. 1 seeds (LSU and Virginia) advanced to the NCAA tournament Final Four for the first time.
* The NCAA tournament included a national third-place game — pitting the two teams that lost in the semifinals against one another — for the last time. The NCAA tournament had included a national third-place game since 1946.
* For the last time, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) included a third-place game between the two teams that lost in the semifinals. The tournament had included a third-place game since the first NIT in 1938.
* The NCAA Final Four was held in Philadelphia and the Final Four logo included a depiction of the Liberty Bell. It was the first time that a Final Four logo incorporated an image specific to the Final Four venue.
* Oregon State senior Steve Johnson set an NCAA record for season field goal percentage with a .746 mark. Johnson graduated with the NCAA career field goal percentage record (.678)
* Nolan Richardson led Tulsa to a 15-game improvement over the previous year in his first year at the helm. The Golden Hurricane went 26–7 and won the 1981 National Invitation Tournament. Richardson came to Tulsa fresh off of a 1980 NJCAA Championship and brought four of his former Western Texas College starters to Tulsa, including Paul Pressey.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP and UPI polls during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Kentucky (30) |
| 2 | DePaul (18) |
| 3 | Louisville (2) |
| 4 | Maryland (2) |
| 5 | Indiana (2) |
| 6 | UCLA (2) |
| 7 | Oregon State (1) |
| 8 | Virginia (1) |
| 9 | Ohio State (1) |
| 10 | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Missouri |
| 12 | Louisiana State |
| 13 | North Carolina |
| 14 | Iowa |
| 15 | Texas A&M |
| 16 | Georgetown |
| 17 | St. John's |
| 18 | Brigham Young |
| 19 | Syracuse |
| 20 | Arkansas |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Kentucky |
| 2 | DePaul |
| 3 | Louisville |
| 4 | Indiana |
| 5 | Maryland |
| 6 | Oregon State |
| 7 | Virginia |
| 8 | UCLA |
| 9 | Ohio State |
| 10 | Missouri |
| 11 | North Carolina |
| 12 | Notre Dame |
| 13 | Louisiana State |
| 14 | Texas A&M |
| 15 | Iowa |
| 16 | Georgetown |
| 17 | Brigham Young |
| 18 | Kansas State |
| 19 | St. John's |
| 20 | Arizona State |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Akron Zips | Division II independent | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Detroit Titans | Division I independent | Midwestern City Conference |
| Georgia Southern Eagles | Division I independent | Trans America Athletic Conference |
| New Orleans Privateers | Sun Belt Conference | Division I independent |
| Rhode Island Rams | ECAC North Conference | Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) |
| Texas–Pan American Broncs | Trans America Athletic Conference | Division I independent |
| Villanova Wildcats | Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) | Big East Conference |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Virginia | Ralph Sampson, Virginia | 1981 ACC men's basketball tournament | Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland) | North Carolina |
| Big East Conference | Boston College | John Bagley, Boston College | 1981 Big East men's basketball tournament | Carrier Dome (Syracuse, New York) | Syracuse |
| Big Eight Conference | Missouri | Andre Smith, Nebraska | 1981 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals) | Kansas |
| Big Sky Conference | Idaho | Brian Kellerman, Idaho | 1981 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Kibbie Dome (Moscow, Idaho) | Idaho |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| East Coast Conference | American (East) Lafayette & Rider (West) | Len Hatzenbeller, Drexel | 1981 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | The Palestra (Philadelphia) | St. Joseph's |
| Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) | Duquesne & Rhode Island | Earl Belcher, St. Bonaventure | 1981 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament | Civic Arena (Pittsburgh) | Pittsburgh |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | 1981 ECAC Metro Region tournament | Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, New York) | LIU-Brooklyn |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | 1981 ECAC South Region tournament | Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia) | James Madison |
| ECAC North | Northeastern | Mike Ferrara, Colgate | 1981 ECAC North men's basketball tournament | Cabot Center (Boston) | Northeastern |
| Ivy League | Princeton | Larry Lawrence, Dartmouth | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Conference | Louisville | David Burns, Saint Louis & Derek Smith, Louisville | 1981 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Freedom Hall (Louisville, Kentucky) | Louisville |
| Mid-American Conference | Ball State, Northern Illinois, Toledo, W. Michigan & Bowling Green | Harvey Knuckles, Toledo | 1981 MAC men's basketball tournament | Crisler Arena (Ann Arbor, Michigan) | Ball State |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | North Carolina A&T | Larry Spriggs, Howard | 1981 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament | Winston–Salem Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) | Howard |
| Midwestern City Conference | Xavier | Darius Clemons, Loyola (IL) & Rubin Jackson, Oklahoma City | 1981 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament | Final at Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati) | Oklahoma City |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Wichita State | Lewis Lloyd, Drake | 1981 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Levitt Arena (Wichita, Kansas) | Creighton |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Western Kentucky | Jerry Beck, Middle Tennessee St. | 1981 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | E. A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky) | Western Kentucky |
| Pacific-10 Conference | Oregon State | Steve Johnson, Oregon State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Fresno State | Kevin Magee, UC Irvine | 1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament | Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California) | Fresno State |
| Southeastern Conference | LSU | Rudy Macklin, LSU | 1981 SEC men's basketball tournament | Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama) | Mississippi |
| Southern Conference | Appalachian State, Davidson & UT-Chattanooga | Charles Payton, Appalachian State | 1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) | UT-Chattanooga |
| Southland Conference | Lamar | Mike Olliver, Lamar | 1981 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament | McDonald Gym (Beaumont, Texas) (Semifinals and finals) | Lamar |
| Southwest Conference | Arkansas | Rob Williams, Houston | 1981 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | HemisFair Arena (San Antonio, Texas) | Houston |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Alcorn State & Southern-BR | Harry Kelly, Texas Southern & Robert Williams, Grambling State | 1981 SWAC men's basketball tournament | LSU Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) | Southern-BR |
| Sun Belt Conference | VCU, South Alabama & UAB | Ed Rains, South Alabama | 1981 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum (Jacksonville, Florida) | VCU |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Houston Baptist | Benton Wade, Mercer | 1981 TAAC men's basketball tournament | Hirsch Coliseum (Shreveport, Louisiana) | Mercer |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Pepperdine & San Francisco | Quintin Dailey, San Francisco | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | Utah & Wyoming | Danny Ainge, BYU | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
Note: From 1975 to 1981, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1981 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did. The ECAC North was a separate, conventional conference.

#### Conference standings

1980–81 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1980–81 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Virginia13–1 .92929–4  .879 No. 6 North Carolina †10–4 .71429–8  .784 No. 11 Wake Forest9–5 .64322–7  .759 No. 18 Maryland8–6 .57121–10  .677 Duke6–8 .42917–13  .567 Clemson6–8 .42920–11  .645 NC State4–10 .28614–13  .519 Georgia Tech0–14 .0004–23  .148 † 1981 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 Big East men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Boston College10–4 .71423–7  .767 Georgetown9–5 .64320–12  .625 St. John's8–6 .57117–11  .607 Villanova8–6 .57120–11  .645 Connecticut8–6 .57120–9  .690 Syracuse †6–8 .42922–12  .647 Seton Hall4–10 .28611–16  .407 Providence3–11 .21410–18  .357 † 1981 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1980–81 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Missouri10–4 .71422–10  .688 Kansas State9–5 .64324–9  .727 Nebraska9–5 .64315–12  .556 Kansas †9–5 .64324–8  .750 Oklahoma State8–6 .57118–9  .667 Colorado5–9 .35716–12  .571 Oklahoma4–10 .2869–18  .333 Iowa State2–12 .1439–18  .333 † 1981 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1980–81 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Idaho †12–2 .85725–4  .862 Montana11–3 .78619–9  .679 Montana State11–3 .78616–11  .593 Idaho State6–8 .42912–14  .462 Nevada5–9 .35711–15  .423 Weber State5–9 .3578–19  .296 Boise State4–10 .2867–19  .269 Northern Arizona2–12 .1438–17  .320 † Big Sky Conference tournament winner | 1980–81 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 Indiana14–4 .77826–9  .743 No. 13 Iowa13–5 .72221–7  .750 No. 19 Illinois12–6 .66721–8  .724 Purdue10–8 .55621–11  .656 Minnesota9–9 .50019–11  .633 Ohio State9–9 .50014–13  .519 Michigan8–10 .44419–11  .633 Michigan State7–11 .38913–14  .481 Wisconsin5–13 .27811–16  .407 Northwestern3–15 .1679–18  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 ECAC North men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northeastern †21–5 .80824–6  .800 Holy Cross18–8 .69220–10  .667 Vermont15–11 .57716–12  .571 Maine13–13 .50014–14  .500 Boston University13–13 .50013–14  .481 Canisius11–15 .42311–15  .423 Niagara11–15 .42311–15  .423 Colgate11–17 .39311–18  .379 New Hampshire3–7 .3007–19  .269 † 1981 ECAC North tournament winner |
| 1980–81 ECC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East American11–0 1.00024–6  .800 Saint Joseph's †9–2 .81825–8  .758 Temple9–2 .81820–8  .714 La Salle8–3 .72714–13  .519 Drexel6–5 .54514–13  .519 Hofstra5–6 .45512–15  .444 West Lafayette8–8 .50015–13  .536 Rider8–8 .50014–14  .500 Bucknell6–10 .37512–16  .429 Lehigh6–10 .37514–12  .538 Delaware3–13 .1886–19  .240 West Chester2–14 .1257–20  .259 † 1981 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1980–81 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rhode Island10–3 .76921–8  .724 Duquesne10–3 .76920–10  .667 West Virginia9–4 .69223–10  .697 Pittsburgh †8–5 .61519–12  .613 Rutgers7–6 .53816–14  .533 St. Bonaventure6–4 .60014–13  .519 George Washington4–9 .3088–19  .296 UMass0–13 .0003–24  .111 † 1981 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Princeton13–1 .92918–10  .643 Penn13–1 .92920–8  .714 Harvard9–5 .64316–10  .615 Brown5–9 .3579–17  .346 Columbia5–9 .3579–17  .346 Cornell4–10 .2867–19  .269 Yale4–10 .2867–19  .269 Dartmouth3–11 .21410–16  .385 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1980–81 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 Louisville †11–1 .91721–9  .700 Florida State7–5 .58317–11  .607 Cincinnati6–6 .50016–13  .552 Virginia Tech6–6 .50015–13  .536 Memphis State5–7 .41713–14  .481 Tulane4–8 .33312–15  .444 Saint Louis3–9 .2509–18  .333 † 1981 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Michigan10–6 .62515–13  .536 Ball State †10–6 .62520–10  .667 Toledo10–6 .62521–10  .677 Bowling Green10–6 .62515–12  .556 Northern Illinois10–6 .62517–12  .586 Eastern Michigan8–8 .50013–14  .481 Ohio6–10 .3757–20  .259 Miami6–10 .37511–15  .423 Central Michigan5–11 .31312–14  .462 Kent State5–11 .3137–19  .269 † 1981 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 MEAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Carolina A&T7–3 .70021–8  .724 Florida A&M6–4 .60017–11  .607 Howard †6–4 .60017–12  .586 Bethune–Cookman4–6 .40013–15  .464 South Carolina State4–6 .40011–15  .423 Delaware State3–7 .3008–18  .308 † 1981 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1980–81 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Xavier8–3 .72712–16  .429 Loyola-Chicago7–4 .63613–15  .464 Oklahoma City †7–4 .63614–15  .483 Oral Roberts6–5 .54511–16  .407 Evansville6–5 .54519–9  .679 Detroit1–5 .1679–18  .333 Butler1–10 .0915–22  .185 † 1981 MCC tournament winner | 1980–81 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Wichita State12–4 .75026–7  .788 Creighton †11–5 .68821–9  .700 Tulsa11–5 .68826–7  .788 Drake10–6 .62518–11  .621 Bradley10–6 .62518–9  .667 New Mexico State7–9 .43810–17  .370 West Texas State7–9 .43816–11  .593 Indiana State4–12 .2509–18  .333 Southern Illinois0–16 .0007–20  .259 † 1981 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1980–81 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Kentucky †12–2 .85721–8  .724 Murray State10–4 .71417–10  .630 Middle Tennessee9–5 .64318–9  .667 Austin Peay7–7 .50014–13  .519 Eastern Kentucky7–7 .50010–16  .385 Akron5–9 .3578–18  .308 Morehead State4–10 .28611–15  .423 Tennessee Tech2–12 .1436–20  .231 † 1981 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1980–81 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Oregon State17–1 .94426–2  .929 No. 3 Arizona State16–2 .88924–4  .857 No. 10 UCLA13–5 .72220–7  .741 USC9–9 .50014–13  .519 Washington8–10 .44414–13  .519 Arizona8–10 .44413–14  .481 Oregon6–12 .33313–14  .481 California5–13 .27813–14  .481 Stanford5–13 .2789–18  .333 Washington State3–15 .16710–17  .370 Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Fresno State†12–2 .85725–4  .862 San Jose State10–4 .71421–9  .700 UC Irvine9–5 .64317–10  .630 Long Beach State9–5 .64315–13  .536 Utah State5–9 .35712–16  .429 UC Santa Barbara5–9 .35711–16  .407 Pacific4–10 .28614–13  .519 Cal State Fullerton2–12 .1434–23  .148 † 1981 PCAA tournament winner | 1980–81 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 LSU17–1 .94431–5  .861 No. 8 Kentucky15–3 .83322–6  .786 No. 15 Tennessee12–6 .66721–8  .724 Alabama10–8 .55618–11  .621 Georgia9–9 .50019–12  .613 Ole Miss †8–10 .44416–14  .533 Vanderbilt7–11 .38915–14  .517 Florida5–13 .27812–16  .429 Auburn4–14 .22211–16  .407 Mississippi State3–15 .1678–19  .296 † 1981 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1980–81 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Chattanooga †11–5 .68821–9  .700 Davidson11–5 .68813–14  .481 Appalachian State11–5 .68820–9  .690 East Tennessee State9–7 .56313–14  .481 Western Carolina9–7 .56318–10  .643 Furman8–8 .50011–16  .407 Marshall8–8 .50018–10  .643 VMI3–13 .1884–23  .148 The Citadel2–14 .1259–17  .346 † 1981 Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1980–81 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Lamar †8–2 .80025–5  .833 Texas-Arlington7–3 .70020–8  .714 Louisiana Tech7–3 .70020–10  .667 Southwestern Louisiana6–4 .60015–13  .536 Arkansas State2–8 .20012–15  .444 McNeese State0–10 .00011–21  .344 † Southland Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1980–81 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 20 Arkansas13–3 .81324–8  .750 Houston †10–6 .62521–9  .700 Baylor10–6 .62515–12  .556 Texas Tech8–8 .50015–13  .536 Texas A&M8–8 .50015–12  .556 Texas7–9 .43815–15  .500 Rice7–9 .43812–15  .444 TCU6–10 .37511–18  .379 SMU3–13 .1887–20  .259 † 1981 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1980–81 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Southern †8–4 .66717–11  .607 Alcorn State8–4 .66717–12  .586 Grambling State7–5 .58318–11  .621 Jackson State7–5 .58316–13  .552 Texas Southern7–5 .58313–13  .500 Mississippi Valley State4–8 .33311–16  .407 Prairie View1–11 .0832–23  .080 † 1981 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT VCU †9–3 .75024–5  .828 South Alabama9–3 .75025–6  .806 UAB9–3 .75023–9  .719 South Florida7–5 .58318–11  .621 Jacksonville4–8 .3338–19  .296 UNC Charlotte3–9 .25010–17  .370 Georgia State1–11 .0834–23  .148 † 1981 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Houston Baptist9–3 .75018–10  .643 NE Louisiana8–4 .66715–13  .536 Mercer †7–4 .63618–12  .600 Centenary7–5 .58316–12  .571 Arkansas–Little Rock5–6 .45513–13  .500 Samford5–6 .45510–17  .370 Northwestern State5–7 .41711–17  .393 Hardin-Simmons4–8 .3339–18  .333 Georgia Southern2–9 .1825–22  .185 † 1981 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1980–81 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT San Francisco11–3 .78623–7  .767 Pepperdine11–3 .78616–11  .593 Gonzaga9–5 .64319–8  .704 Portland7–7 .50017–10  .630 Santa Clara7–7 .50014–13  .519 Loyola Marymount5–9 .3579–19  .321 San Diego3–11 .21410–16  .385 Saint Mary's3–11 .2149–18  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1980–81 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Utah13–3 .81325–5  .833 No. 17 Wyoming13–3 .81324–6  .800 No. 16 BYU12–4 .75025–7  .781 UTEP9–7 .56318–12  .600 San Diego State8–8 .50015–12  .556 Hawaii7–9 .43814–13  .519 New Mexico6–10 .37511–15  .423 Air Force3–13 .1889–18  .333 Colorado State1–15 .0633–24  .111 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 46 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (27–2) had both the best winning percentage (.931) and the most wins.
1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 1 DePaul
* – –27–2
* .931
* No. 7 Notre Dame
* – –23–6
* .793
* Southern Mississippi
* – –20–7
* .741
* James Madison– –21–9
* .700
* Fordham– –19–9
* .679
* Cleveland State
* – –18–9
* .667
* Stetson
* – –18–9
* .667
* Saint Peter's– –17–9
* .654
* Tennessee State
* – –17–9
* .654
* Marquette
* – –20–11
* .645
* Old Dominion– –18–10
* .643
* Penn State
* – –17–10
* .630
* St. Francis (Pa.)– –17–10
* .630
* Siena– –17–10
* .630
* South Carolina
* – –17–10
* .630
* Dayton
* – –18–11
* .621
* Long Island– –18–11
* .621
* Texas–Pan American
* – –18–11
* .621
* Illinois State
* – –16–11
* .593
* Wagner– –16–11
* .593
* UNLV
* – –16–12
* .571
* William & Mary– –16–12
* .571
* North Texas State
* – –15–12
* .556
* Southeastern Louisiana
* – –14–13
* .519
* Iona– –15–14
* .517
* Richmond– –15–14
* .517
* Fairfield– –13–13
* .500
* UNC Wilmington
* – –13–13
* .500
* New Orleans
* – –13–14
* .481
* Towson State– –13–14
* .481
* East Carolina
* – –12–14
* .462
* Fairleigh Dickinson– –12–14
* .462
* Valparaiso
* – –12–15
* .444
* Campbell
* – –11–16
* .407
* George Mason– –10–16
* .385
* St. Francis (N.Y.)– –10–16
* .385
* Navy– –9–16
* .360
* Robert Morris– –9–18
* .333
* Baptist
* – –8–19
* .296
* Northern Iowa
* – –8–19
* .296
* Army– –7–19
* .269
* Portland State
* – –7–20
* .259
* Manhattan– –6–20
* .231
* Nicholls State
* – –6–22
* .214
* Baltimore– –5–21
* .192
* Catholic– –4–20
* .167
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, & Villanova | John Pinone, Villanova |
All five teams finished with a 2–2 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

### Statistical leaders

| Points per game | Points per game | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Field-goal percentage | Field-goal percentage | Field-goal percentage | Free-throw percentage | Free-throw percentage | Free-throw percentage |
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | FT% |
| Zam Fredrick | S. Carolina | 28.9 | Darryl Watson | Miss. Valley St. | 14.0 | Steve Johnson | Oregon St. | 74.6 | Dave Hidahl | Portland St. | 92.7 |
| Mike Ferrara | Colgate | 28.6 | Wayne Sappleton | Loyola (IL) | 13.4 | Kevin Magee | UC Irvine | 67.1 | Jack Moore | Nebraska | 92.2 |
| Kevin Magee | UC Irvine | 27.5 | Michael Cage | San Diego St. | 13.1 | Orlando Woolridge | Notre Dame | 65.0 | Steve Bontrager | Oral Roberts | 90.1 |
| Lewis Lloyd | Drake | 26.3 | Kevin Magee | UC Irvine | 12.5 | Buck Williams | Maryland | 64.7 | Jim Stack | Northwestern | 90.0 |
| Rob Williams | Houston | 25.0 | LaSalle Thompson | Texas | 12.3 | Thomas Best | Lafayette | 64.3 | John Leonard | Manhattan | 89.1 |

## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament

Indiana won its fourth NCAA title with a 63–50 win over North Carolina and coach Dean Smith. Precocious sophomore Isiah Thomas was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player in a title game delayed due to the shooting of President Ronald Reagan.

#### Final Four

Played at The Spectrum in Philadelphia
| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| E1 | Virginia | 65 | | | |
| W2 | North Carolina | 78 | | | |
| W2 | North Carolina | 78 | W2 | North Carolina | 50 |
| | | | ME3 | Indiana | 63 |
| ME3 | Indiana | 67 | ME3 | Indiana | 63 |
| MW1 | LSU | 49 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E1 | Virginia | 78 |
| | | | MW1 | LSU | 74 |

### National Invitation tournament

Coach Nolan Richardson led Tulsa to the NIT Championship in his first year as a Division I head coach – an 86–84 win over Syracuse. The Golden Hurricane's Greg Stewart was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

#### NIT Semifinals and Finals

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Syracuse | 70 | | |
| Purdue | 63 | | |
| Purdue | 63 | Syracuse | 84 |
| | | Tulsa | 86 |
| West Virginia | 87 | Tulsa | 86 |
| Tulsa | 89 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Purdue | 75 |
| | | West Virginia | 72 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Mark Aguirre | F | Junior | DePaul |
| Danny Ainge | G | Senior | Brigham Young |
| Steve Johnson | C | Senior | Oregon State |
| Ralph Sampson | C | Sophomore | Virginia |
| Isiah Thomas | G | Sophomore | Indiana |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Sam Bowie | C | Sophomore | Kentucky |
| Jeff Lamp | F | Senior | Virginia |
| Durand Macklin | F | Senior | LSU |
| Kelly Tripucka | F | Senior | Notre Dame |
| Danny Vranes | F | Senior | Utah |
| Al Wood | F | Senior | North Carolina |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Danny Ainge, BYU
* Naismith Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Helms Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* UPI Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* NABC Player of the Year: Danny Ainge, BYU
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Mark Aguirre, DePaul

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Ralph Miller, Oregon State
* NABC Coach of the Year: Jack Hartman, Kansas State & Ralph Miller, Oregon State
* UPI Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State
* CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Dale Brown, LSU
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Dale Brown, LSU

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Terry Adolph, West Texas State
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): John Pinone, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Gary Springer, Iona

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach |
| Appalachian State | Bobby Cremins | Kevin Cantwell |
| Brown | Joe Mullaney | Mike Cingiser |
| Drake | Bob Ortegel | Gary Garner |
| Georgia Tech | Dwane Morrison | Bobby Cremins |
| Gonzaga | Dan Fitzgerald | Jay Hillock |
| Hardin–Simmons | Jim Shuler | Jim Hatfield |
| Mississippi State | Jim Hatfield | Bob Boyd |
| Providence | Gary Walters | Joe Mullaney |
| Rice | Mike Schuler | Tommy Suitts |
| Richmond | Lou Goetz | Dick Tarrant |
| Saint Joseph's | Jim Lynam | Jim Boyle |
| Samford | Cliff Wettig | Mike Hanks |
| Seton Hall | Bill Raftery | Hoddy Mahon |
| Tulane | Roy Danforth | Ned Fowler |
| UCLA | Larry Brown | Larry Farmer |
| UMass | Ray Wilson | Tom McLaughlin |
| Vanderbilt | Richard Schmidt | C. M. Newton |