1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team

The 1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team represented the University of South Alabama during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Jaguars were led by head coach Cliff Ellis, in his sixth year as head coach. They played their home games at the Mobile Civic Center, and were members of the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama finished the season 25–6, 9–3 in Sun Belt play to finish tied for first place. They were invited to the NIT tournament, where they lost to Tulsa in the quarterfinals.

1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball
Sun Belt Regular season co-champions
NIT tournament, quarterfinals
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record25–6 (9–3 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Home arenaJaguar Gym
Mobile Municipal Auditorium
Seasons
1980–81 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
VCU 9 3   .750 24 5   .828
South Alabama 9 3   .750 25 6   .806
UAB 9 3   .750 23 9   .719
South Florida 7 5   .583 18 11   .621
Jacksonville 4 8   .333 8 19   .296
UNC Charlotte 3 9   .250 10 17   .370
Georgia State 1 11   .083 4 23   .148
1981 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

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1980–81 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F Rory White 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Tuskegee, Alabama
F 15 Ed Rains 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Sr Ocala, Florida
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Dec 1, 1980*
Wisconsin–Parkside W 86–58  1–0
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Dec 3, 1980*
Middle Tennessee State L 79–80  1–1
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Dec 5, 1980*
vs. Texas–El Paso
Worcester County Classic
W 77–66  2–1
Hart Center 
Worcester, Massachusetts
Dec 6, 1980*
vs. Holy Cross
Worcester County Classic
W 77–53  3–1
Hart Center 
Worcester, Massachusetts
Dec 11, 1980*
Tennessee Tech W 67–48  4–1
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Dec 13, 1980*
Prairie View A&M W 101–53  5–1
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Dec 16, 1980*
at No. 7 Ohio State W 76–67  6–1
St. John Arena 
Columbus, Ohio
Dec 18, 1980*
at Akron W 52–49  7–1
Memorial Hall 
Akron, Ohio
Dec 29, 1980*
Navy
Senior Bowl
W 65–47  8–1
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Dec 30, 1980*
Fordham
Senior Bowl
W 79–61  9–1
Mobile Municipal Auditorium 
Mobile, Alabama
Jan 2, 1981*
Mississippi Valley State W 98–67  10–1
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Jan 6, 1981
No. 15 at VCU W 76–62  11–1
(1–0)
Richmond Coliseum 
Richmond, Virginia
Jan 8, 1981
at UNC Charlotte W 92–61  12–1
(2–0)
Belk Gymnasium 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 10, 1981
Georgia State W 74–54  13–1
(3–0)
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Jan 13, 1981
UNC Charlotte W 80–63  14–1
(4–0)
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Jan 17, 1981*
Nicholls State W 95–62  15–1
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Jan 22, 1981
No. 11 VCU L 70–86  15–2
(4–1)
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Jan 24, 1981*
at McNeese State W 64–60  16–2
Lake Charles Civic Center 
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Jan 27, 1981
at Jacksonville W 55–48  17–2
(5–1)
Jacksonville Coliseum 
Jacksonville, Florida
Jan 31, 1981
at UAB L 70–73  17–3
(5–2)
Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (16,131)
Birmingham, Alabama
Feb 5, 1981
South Florida W 54–50  18–3
(6–2)
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Feb 8, 1981
Jacksonville W 86–65  19–3
(7–2)
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Feb 10, 1981
at Georgia State W 82–49  20–3
(8–2)
GSU Sports Arena 
Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 12, 1981
at South Florida L 52–70  20–4
(8–3)
USF Sun Dome 
Tampa, Florida
Feb 17, 1981
UAB W 77–57  21–4
(9–3)
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Feb 19, 1981*
7:30 p.m.
at Illinois State W 50–44  22–4
Horton Field House (4,572)
Normal, Illinois
Sun Belt Conference tournament
Feb 27, 1981*
(2) vs. (7) Georgia State
Quarterfinals
W 79–41  23–4
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum 
Jacksonville, Florida
Feb 28, 1981*
(2) vs. (3) UAB
Semifinals
W 86–59  23–5
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum (5,271)
Jacksonville, Florida
NIT tournament
Mar 11, 1981*
Texas–Arlington
First round
W 74–71  24–5
Jaguar Gym 
Mobile, Alabama
Mar 16, 1981*
at Georgia
Second round
W 73–72  25–5
Stegeman Coliseum 
Athens, Georgia
Mar 20, 1981*
at Tulsa
Quarterfinals
L 68–69  25–6
Mabee Center 
Tulsa, Oklahoma
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central Time.

[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ "2019-20 South Alabama Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of South Alabama Athletics. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "1980-81 South Alabama Jaguars Men's Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 15, 2024.