# 1980–81 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 29* | | at Nevada | W 91-73 | 1-0 | Centennial Coliseum Reno, NV |
| December 1* | | Pepperdine | W 81-67 | 2-0 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 3* | | Michigan | L 52-64 | 2-1 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 6* | | Oral Roberts | W 90-66 | 3-1 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 9* | | Morehead State | W 90-56 | 4-1 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 13* | | at No. 2 Kentucky | L 73-87 | 4-2 | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| December 20* | | USC | W 91-68 | 5-2 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 22* | | at SMU | W 73-62 | 6-2 | Moody Coliseum University Park, TX |
| December 30* | | Rollins | W 102-47 | 7-2 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| January 3* | | No. 6 North Carolina | W 56-55 | 8-2 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, MO |
| January 6* | | at Memphis | W 59-49 | 9-2 | Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, TN |
| January 10 | | Iona | W 94-64 | 10-2 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| January 14 | | Iowa State | W 70-58 | 11-2 (1-0) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| January 17 | | at Oklahoma | W 82-78 | 12-2 (2-0) | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK |
| January 21 | | No. 18 Missouri Border War | W 63-55 | 13-2 (3-0) | Allen Fieldhouse (16,000) Lawrence, KS |
| January 24* | | Colorado | W 66-59 | 14-2 (4-0) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| January 28 | No. 18 | at Kansas State Sunflower Showdown | L 43-54 | 14-3 (4-1) | Ahearn Field House Manhattan, KS |
| January 31 | No. 18 | at Nebraska | L 54-57 | 14-4 (4-2) | Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, NE |
| February 4 | | at Oklahoma State | L 73-76 | 14-5 (4-3) | Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater, OK |
| February 7 | | Oklahoma | W 96-67 | 15-5 (5-3) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| February 9 | | at Missouri Border War | L 65-79 | 15-6 (5-4) | Hearnes Center (11,148) Columbia, MO |
| February 14 | | at Iowa State | W 51-49 | 16-6 (6-4) | James H. Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA |
| February 18 | | Kansas State Sunflower Showdown | W 51-49 | 17-6 (7-4) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| February 21 | | at Colorado | L 50-53 | 17-7 (7-5) | Coors Events/Conference Center Boulder, CO |
| February 25 | | Nebraska | W 75-49 | 18-7 (8-5) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| February 28 | | Oklahoma State | W 80-65 | 19-7 (9-5) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| March 3 | (4) | (5) Oklahoma State Big Eight Tournament quarterfinals | W 96-69 | 20-7 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| March 4 | (4) | vs. (1) Missouri Big Eight tournament semifinals Border War | W 75-70 | 21-7 | Kemper Arena (17,032) Kansas City, MO |
| March 5 | (4) | vs. (2) Kansas State Big Eight tournament championship Game Sunflower Showdown | W 80-68 | 22-7 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, MO |
| March 13* | (7 MW) | vs. (10 MW) Ole Miss NCAA Tournament first round | W 69-66 | 23-7 | Levitt Arena Wichita, KS |
| March 15* | (7 MW) | vs. (2 MW) No. 3 Arizona State NCAA Tournament second round | W 88-71 | 24-7 | Levitt Arena Wichita, KS |
| March 20* | (7 MW) | vs. (6 MW) Wichita State NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | L 65-66 | 24-8 | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. Midwest=MW. ||||||