1980 MAC men's basketball tournament

The 1980 MAC men's basketball tournament was held February 26–28 at a combination of on-campus gymnasiums and the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was the first edition of the tournament.

1980 MAC men's basketball tournament
Classification	Division I
Season	1979–80
Teams	7
First round site	Campus Arenas Campus Sites
Finals site	Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI
Champions	Toledo (1st title)
Winning coach	Bob Nichols (1st title)
MVP	Jim Swaney (Toledo)
MAC men's basketball tournaments

1979–80 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Toledo †	14	–	2		.875			23	–	6		.793
Bowling Green State	11	–	5		.688			20	–	10		.667
Northern Illinois	9	–	7		.563			16	–	13		.552
Kent State	7	–	9		.438			16	–	11		.593
Ball State	7	–	9		.438			14	–	15		.483
Miami (Ohio)	7	–	9		.438			9	–	18		.333
Eastern Michigan	7	–	9		.438			11	–	16		.407
Western Michigan	7	–	9		.438			12	–	14		.462
Central Michigan	6	–	10		.375			12	–	13		.480
Ohio	5	–	11		.313			8	–	18		.308
† 1980 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Top-seeded Toledo defeated Bowling Green in the inaugural championship game, 85–70, to win their first MAC men's basketball tournament.

The Rockets, in turn, received a bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament. They were the only MAC program invited to the tournament.

Format

First Round games were played at the home court of the higher-seeded team. All remaining games (semifinals, third-place final, and championship) were played at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Bracket

	First round Tuesday, February 26					Semifinals Wednesday, February 27					Championship Thursday, February 28
						1	Toledo	91
						5	Ball State	83
	5	Ball State	73
	4	Kent State	71
											1	Toledo	85
											2	Bowling Green	70
	3	Northern Illinois	58
	6	Miami (OH)	53
						3	Northern Illinois	63			Third Place Thursday, February 28
						2	Bowling Green	78
	7	Eastern Michigan	49								3	Northern Illinois	71
	2	Bowling Green	54								5	Ball State	58