# 1979–80 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

The 1979–80 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Bill Cofield, coaching his fourth season with the Badgers. The team played their home games at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wisconsin and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Guard Wes Matthews was the team's leading scorer with 549 points in 28 games. Other statistical leaders included forward Joe Chrnelich with 209 rebounds and Danny Hastings with 72 assists.
Late in the season, coach Cofield suspended Matthews for arguing with a coach, a decision that was believed to have cost the Badgers an invitation to play in the National Invitation Tournament. Cofield said of his decision: "The young man had to be taught a lesson. While we may have had a shot at postseason play, the basketball program at Wisconsin is more important than whether we win or lose a game."

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 30* | Oklahoma City | W 99–92 | 1–0 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 1* | East Tennessee State | W 68–56 | 2–0 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 5* ESPN | at DePaul | L 77–90 | 2–1 | Alumni Hall Chicago, IL |
| December 8* | Alabama | L 62–66 | 2–2 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 12* | Eastern Michigan | W 69–57 | 3–2 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 15* | at Marquette | W 57–56 | 4–2 | MECCA Arena Milwaukee, WI |
| December 22* | Cleveland State | W 103–78 | 5–2 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 23* | Morgan State | W 94–42 | 6–2 | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| December 27* | vs. Nebraska | L 82–83 | 6–3 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| December 28* | vs. Nevada | W 86–61 | 7–3 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| December 28* | vs. Army | W 78–54 | 8–3 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| January 3 | Northwestern | W 75–66 | 9–3 (1–0) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 5 | Indiana | W 52–50 | 10–3 (2–0) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 10 | at Minnesota | L 76–82 | 10–4 (2–1) | Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN |
| January 12 | at Iowa | L 65–66 | 10–5 (2–2) | Iowa Field House Iowa City, Iowa |
| January 15 | at Michigan State | L 61–62 | 10–6 (2–3) | Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI |
| January 19 | Illinois | L 64–69 | 10–7 (2–4) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 24 | Purdue | L 60–73 | 10–8 (2–5) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| January 26 | No. 4 Ohio State | W 72–71 | 11–8 (3–5) | St. John Arena Columbus, OH |
| January 31 | Michigan | L 69–73 | 11–9 (3–6) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 2 | Ohio State | W 70–67 | 12–9 (4–6) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 7 | at Illinois | L 50–67 | 12–10 (4–7) | Assembly Hall Champaign, IL |
| February 9 | at Michigan | L 59–68 | 12–11 (4–8) | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 14 | Michigan State | W 80–66 | 13–11 (5–8) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 16 | at Purdue | L 61–69 | 13–12 (5–9) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| February 21 | Iowa | W 62–58 | 14–12 (6–9) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 23 | Minnesota | W 70–55 | 15–12 (7–9) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI |
| February 28 | at Indiana | L 52–61 | 15–13 (7–10) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana |
| March 1 | at Northwestern | L 50–53 | 15–14 (7–11) | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 14 | Wes Matthews | Washington Bullets |
| 4 | 82 | Joe Chrnelich | New York Knicks |