1979–80 Bradley Braves men's basketball team

The 1979–80 Bradley Braves men's basketball team represented Bradley University during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves were members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and played their home games at Robertson Memorial Field House in Peoria, Illinois. The team was led by head coach Dick Versace and finished the season at 23–10 (13–3 MVC). After finishing atop the Missouri Valley regular season standings by a 4-game margin, Bradley won the MVC tournament. The Braves earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the Midwest region – the school's first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 25 years. The Braves fell to No. 6 seed Texas A&M, 55–53, in the opening round.

1979–80 Bradley Braves men's basketball
MVC Regular season and tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First round
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record23–10 (13–3 MVC)
Head coach
Home arenaRobertson Memorial Field House
Seasons
← 1978–79
1980–81 →
1979–80 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Bradley 13 3   .813 23 10   .697
Creighton 9 7   .563 16 12   .571
West Texas State 9 7   .563 19 11   .633
Wichita State 9 7   .563 17 12   .586
Indiana State 8 8   .500 16 11   .593
New Mexico State 8 8   .500 17 10   .630
Drake 6 10   .375 15 12   .556
Tulsa 5 11   .313 8 19   .296
Southern Illinois 5 11   .313 9 17   .346
1980 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

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1979–80 Bradley Braves men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F J. J. Anderson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Metro Chicago, IL
F David Thirdkill 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So College of Southern Idaho St. Louis, MO
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

[2]

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 30, 1979*
vs. No. 2 Kentucky
Great Alaska Shootout
L 58–79  0–1
Buckner Fieldhouse 
Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 1, 1979*
vs. Pacific
Great Alaska Shootout
W 80–68  1–1
Buckner Fieldhouse 
Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 2, 1979*
vs. Lamar
Great Alaska Shootout
W 82–75  2–1
Buckner Fieldhouse 
Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 5, 1979*
at Loyola (IL) L 80–83  2–2
Alumni Gym 
Chicago, Illinois
Dec 8, 1979*
at Butler L 63–65  2–3
Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, Indiana
Dec 12, 1979*
Portland State W 90–65  3–3
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Dec 15, 1979*
Rollins W 78–60  4–3
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Dec 17, 1979*
Quincy W 77–67  5–3
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Dec 21, 1979*
vs. Loyola (IL) L 76–84  5–4
Welsh-Ryan Arena 
Evanston, Illinois
Dec 22, 1979*
at Northwestern L 64–67  5–5
Welsh-Ryan Arena 
Evanston, Illinois
Dec 29, 1979*
at No. 4 DePaul L 61–68  5–6
Alumni Hall 
Chicago, Illinois
Jan 3, 1980*
Illinois State W 62–57  6–6
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Jan 5, 1980*
Texas–Arlington W 79–68  7–6
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Jan 7, 1980
New Mexico State W 71–60  8–6
(1–0)
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Jan 10, 1980
Wichita State W 67–66  9–6
(2–0)
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Jan 12, 1980
at Drake W 75–70  10–6
(3–0)
Veterans Memorial Auditorium 
Des Moines, Iowa
Jan 17, 1980
at West Texas A&M L 78–79  10–7
(3–1)
WT Fieldhouse 
Canyon, Texas
Feb 18, 1980
at Creighton W 76–75  20–8
(13–2)
Omaha Civic Auditorium 
Omaha, Nebraska
Feb 23, 1980
at New Mexico State L 89–90  20–9
(13–3)
Pan American Center 
Las Cruces, New Mexico
MVC Tournament
Feb 28, 1980*
Tulsa
Quarterfinals
W 97–76  21–9
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Feb 29, 1980*
Wichita State
Semifinals
W 68–60  22–9
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
Mar 1, 1980*
West Texas A&M
Championship game
W 62–59  23–9
Robertson Memorial Field House 
Peoria, Illinois
NCAA Tournament
Mar 7, 1980*
(11 MW) vs. (6 MW) Texas A&M
First round
L 53–55  23–10
UNT Coliseum 
Denton, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central Time.

Source:[3]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1979-80 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "1979-80 Men's Basketball Roster". Bradley University Athletics. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "1979-80 Men's Basketball Schedule". Bradley University Athletics. Retrieved May 7, 2023.