1980–81 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team represented Ball State University as a member of the Mid-American Conference during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals were led by head coach Steve Yoder and played their home games at Irving Gymnasium in Muncie, Indiana. After finishing in second place during the MAC regular season, Ball State won the MAC tournament to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament – the first appearance in program history. As No. 12 seed in the Mideast region, the Cardinals were beaten in a very competitive game by No. 5 seed Boston College in the opening round, 93–90. The team finished with a record of 20–10 (10–6 MAC).

1980–81 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball
MAC Regular season co-champions MAC tournament champions
NCAA tournament
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	20–10 (10–6 MAC)
Head coach	Steve Yoder
Home arena	Irving Gymnasium

1980–81 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Western Michigan	10	–	6		.625			15	–	13		.536
Ball State †	10	–	6		.625			20	–	10		.667
Toledo	10	–	6		.625			21	–	10		.677
Bowling Green	10	–	6		.625			15	–	12		.556
Northern Illinois	10	–	6		.625			17	–	12		.586
Eastern Michigan	8	–	8		.500			13	–	14		.481
Ohio	6	–	10		.375			7	–	20		.259
Miami	6	–	10		.375			11	–	15		.423
Central Michigan	5	–	11		.313			12	–	14		.462
Kent State	5	–	11		.313			7	–	19		.269
† 1981 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

1980–81 Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G Ray McCallum 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) — So   West Memphis, Arkansas	Head coach Steve Yoder Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 29, 1980*		at No. 5 Indiana	L 69–75	0–1	Assembly Hall  Bloomington, Indiana
Dec 9, 1980*		at Wisconsin	L 72–85	0–2	Wisconsin Field House  Madison, Wisconsin
Dec 13, 1980*		Indiana State	W 76–60	1–2	Irving Gymnasium  Muncie, Indiana
Dec 22, 1980*		at Bradley	L 73–106	1–3	Robertson Memorial Field House  Peoria, Illinois
Dec 27, 1980*		Nebraska	W 67–62	2–3	Irving Gymnasium  Muncie, Indiana
Jan 5, 1981*		at Butler	W 69–66	3–3	Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, Indiana
MAC regular season
Feb 28, 1981		at Central Michigan	L 83–84	17–9 (10–6)	Rose Arena  Mount Pleasant, Michigan
MAC tournament
Mar 3, 1981*		Ohio Quarterfinals	W 85–70	18–9	Irving Gymnasium  Muncie, Indiana
Mar 4, 1981*		vs. Toledo Semifinals	W 79–77	19–9	Crisler Arena  Ann Arbor, Michigan
Mar 5, 1981*		vs. Northern Illinois Championship game	W 79–66	20–9	Crisler Arena  Ann Arbor, Michigan
NCAA tournament
Mar 13, 1981*	(12 ME)	vs. (5 ME) Boston College First round	L 90–93	20–10	Memorial Coliseum  Tuscaloosa, Alabama
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time Source.