1980–81 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Big East Conference. The team finished tied for 3rd in the conference regular season standings and received a bid to the NCAA tournament before falling to No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Virginia. Villanova finished with a 20–11 record (8–6 Big East).

1980–81 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record20–11 (8–6 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaVillanova Field House
Seasons
1980–81 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Boston College 10 4   .714 23 7   .767
Georgetown 9 5   .643 20 12   .625
St. John's 8 6   .571 17 11   .607
Villanova 8 6   .571 20 11   .645
Connecticut 8 6   .571 20 9   .690
Syracuse 6 8   .429 22 12   .647
Seton Hall 4 10   .286 11 16   .407
Providence 3 11   .214 10 18   .357
1981 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[1]

Roster

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1980–81 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 10 Stewart Granger 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Brooklyn, New York
F 45 John Pinone 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Hartford, Connecticut
G 14 Jeff Sherry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Macungie, Pennsylvania
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
city, state
Regular season
*
Merrimack W 90–61  1–0
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 2, 1980*
St. Francis (NY) W 95–73  2–0
Villanova Field House (2,200)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 6, 1980
Providence W 68–49  3–0
(1–0)
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 9, 1980
at Seton Hall W 66–65  4–0
(2–0)
Walsh Gymnasium 
South Orange, New Jersey
Dec 13, 1980
Boston College W 74–71  5–0
(3–0)
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 6, 1980*
vs. La Salle L 83–84  5–1
The Palestra 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 28, 1980*
vs. San Francisco W 93–66  6–1
Special Events Center 
El Paso, Texas
Dec 29, 1980*
at UTEP W 43–41  7–1
Special Events Center 
El Paso, Texas
Jan 3, 1981
St. John's L 78–90  7–2
(3–1)
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 6, 1981*
Notre Dame L 65–94  7–3
The Palestra 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 10, 1981
at Syracuse W 69–65  8–3
(4–1)
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Jan 14, 1981
at St. John's L 54–56 OT 8–4
(4–2)
Alumni Hall 
Queens, New York
Jan 17, 1981*
at Pennsylvania W 68–55  9–4
The Palestra 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 19, 1981*
Towson W 84–64  10–4
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 21, 1981
Connecticut W 63–59  11–4
(5–2)
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 24, 1981*
at Colgate W 85–75  12–4
Cotterell Court 
Hamilton, New York
Jan 26, 1981
at Boston College L 60–73  12–5
(5–3)
Roberts Center 
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Jan 31, 1981*
vs. Temple L 68–71  12–6
The Palestra 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 4, 1981
at Georgetown L 54–70  12–7
(5–4)
McDonough Gymnasium (4,504)
Washington, D.C.
Feb 7, 1981*
at Maine W 68–48  13–7
The Pit 
Orono, Maine
Feb 11, 1981
Seton Hall W 67–63  14–7
(6–4)
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 14, 1981
at Providence L 70–82  14–8
(6–5)
Providence Civic Center 
Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 17, 1981
Syracuse W 88–78  15–8
(7–5)
Villanova Field House 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 21, 1981
vs. Georgetown L 60–68  15–9
(7–6)
The Palestra (6,228)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 23, 1981
at Connecticut W 74–73  16–9
(8–6)
Hartford Civic Center 
Storrs, Connecticut
Feb 28, 1981*
vs. Saint Joseph's W 72–62  17–9
The Palestra 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Big East tournament
Mar 5, 1981*
(4) vs. (5) Connecticut
Quarterfinals
W 65–54  18–9
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Mar 6, 1981*
(4) vs. (8) Providence
Semifinals
W 58–49 OT 19–9
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
Mar 7, 1981*
(4) at (6) Syracuse
Championship game
L 80–83 3OT[2] 19–10
Carrier Dome 
Syracuse, New York
NCAA tournament
Mar 13, 1981*
(9 E) vs. (8 E) Houston
First round
W 90–72  20–10
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Mar 15, 1981*
(9 E) vs. (1 E) No. 5 Virginia
Second round
L 50–54[3]  20–11
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, North Carolina
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.

[4][5]

Rankings

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[6]

References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Big East Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "Syracuse Beats Villanova in 3 Overtimes for Crown". The New York Times. March 8, 1981. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Virginia Defeats Villanova, Will Face Tennessee". The Washington Post. March 16, 1981. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "1980-81 Villanova Wildcats Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "2019–20 Villanova Men's Basketball Media Guide". Villanova University Athletics. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  6. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 877–878. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.