# 1980–81 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represented Rutgers University in 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 29* | American | W 75–62 | 1–0 | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| December 2* | Princeton | W 57–47 | 2–0 | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| December 5* | Columbia | W 78–63 | 3–0 | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| December 6* | Saint Peter's | W 56–51 | 4–0 | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| December 9 | at St. Bonaventure | L 67–77 | 4–1 (0–1) | Reilly Center St. Bonaventure, NY |
| December 13* | at St. John's | L 70–71 | 4–2 (0–1) | Alumni Hall Queens, NY |
| December 20* | Penn State | L 76–78 | 4–3 (0–1) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| December 22* | at No. 6 North Carolina | L 64–71 | 4–4 (0–1) | Carmichael Arena Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 27* | vs. No. 15 Indiana | L 50–55 | 4–5 (0–1) | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| December 28* | vs. Louisiana Tech | L 47–51 | 4–6 (0–1) | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| December 29* | vs. Loyola Marymount | W 91–54 | 5–6 (0–1) | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| January 8 | UMass | W 92–58 | 6–6 (1–1) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| January 10 | at Pittsburgh | W 69–55 | 7–6 (2–1) | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| January 14 | George Washington | W 81–68 | 8–6 (3–1) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| January 17 | St. Bonaventure | L 58–64 | 8–7 (3–2) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| January 20 | at Duquesne | L 60–62 | 8–8 (3–3) | Civic Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| January 22* | Fordham | W 77–63 | 9–8 (3–3) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| January 27* | Duke | L 51–53 | 9–9 (3–3) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| January 31 | Rhode Island | L 49–56 | 9–10 (3–4) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| February 3* | at Manhattan | W 90–57 | 10–10 (3–4) | Draddy Gymnasium The Bronx, NY |
| February 5 | West Virginia | W 73–71 | 11–10 (4–4) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| February 7 | at George Washington | W 76–71 | 12–10 (5–4) | Charles E. Smith Center Washington, D. C. |
| February 10 | at UMass | W 74–53 | 13–10 (6–4) | Curry Hicks Cage Amherst, Massachusetts |
| February 14 | at West Virginia | L 67–73 | 13–11 (6–5) | WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV |
| February 16* | Long Island | W 90–72 | 14–11 (6–5) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| February 19* | vs. Seton Hall | L 56–65 | 14–12 (6–5) | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| February 21* | Fairfield | W 87–57 | 15–12 (6–5) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| February 25 | Duquesne | L 68–69 | 15–13 (6–6) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| February 28 | Pittsburgh | W 61–60 | 16–13 (7–6) | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| Eastern 8 tournament ||||||
| March 5 | at Pittsburgh | L 62–67 | 16–14 (7–6) | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||