1980–81 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 1980–81 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represented Saint Joseph's University as a member of the East Coast Conference during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . Led by 3rd-year head coach Jim Lynam , the Hawks finished with an overall record of 25–8 (9–2 in ECC play). Saint Joseph's won the ECC tournament , and received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 9 seed in the Mideast region. The team defeated No. 8 seed Creighton, No. 1 seed DePaul, and No. 5 seed Boston College[ 1] to reach the Elite Eight. The Hawks fell to No. 3 seed and eventual National champion Indiana in the regional final – a game that was played on the Hoosiers' home court.[ 2]
Roster
1980–81 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
Boo Williams
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
—
Sr
G
Bryan Warrick
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
Jr
Burlington Township, New Jersey
F
John Smith
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
Sr
F
Lonnie McFarlan
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
Fr
C
Tony Costner
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
Fr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site city, state
Regular season
Nov 30, 1980 *
Scranton
W 76–62
1–0
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (1,765)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 2, 1980 *
at Rider
W 71–55
2–0
Alumni Gymnasium (2,200)Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Dec 6, 1980 *
West Chester
W 83–60
3–0
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (1,052)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 9, 1980 *
at Princeton
W 51–50 OT
4–0
Jadwin Gymnasium (2,210)Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 11, 1980 *
at Cornell
W 42–39
5–0
Barton Hall (1,360)Ithaca, New York
Dec 13, 1980 *
Jacksonville
W 45–40
6–0
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (4,012)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 27, 1980 *
at Michigan State
L 67–71
6–1
Jenison Field House (6,953)East Lansing, Michigan
Dec 29, 1980 *
vs. Bowling Green State
W 87–76
7–1
Cole Fieldhouse (13,211)College Park, Maryland
Dec 30, 1980 *
at No. 9 Maryland
L 57–74
7–2
Cole Fieldhouse (13,779)College Park, Maryland
Jan 3, 1981 *
Saint Francis (PA)
W 92–72
8–2
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (1,722)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 7, 1981
at Bucknell
W 66–56
9–2 (1–0)
(2,000)
Jan 10, 1981 *
at Jacksonville
W 44–42
10–2
(4,629)
Jan 13, 1981
at Lafayette
W 59–41
11–2 (2–0)
(2,500)
Jan 20, 1981
at Delaware
W 67–56
12–2 (3–0)
(894)
Jan 24, 1981 *
UNC Charlotte
W 72–65
13–2
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (8,558)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 28, 1981 *
Penn
W 63–61
14–2
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (6,990)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 31, 1981
La Salle
L 56–58
14–3 (3–1)
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (9,208)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 2, 1981 *
Albright
W 88–56
15–3
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (746)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 6, 1981 *
vs. No. 10 North Carolina North-South Doubleheaders
L 64–87
15–4
(10,782)Charlotte, North Carolina
Feb 7, 1981 *
vs. NC State
L 42–47
15–5
Reynolds Coliseum (11,198)Raleigh, North Carolina
Feb 11, 1981
vs. Drexel
W 94–72
16–5 (4–1)
Palestra (4,412)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 14, 1981
vs. Temple
W 61–58
17–5 (5–1)
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (7,151)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 16, 1981
Lehigh
W 74–47
18–5 (7–1)
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (856)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ECC Tournament
Mar 6, 1981 *
Temple Quarterfinals
W 60–55
20–7
Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 7, 1981 *
vs. Lafayette Semifinals
W 73–63
21–7
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 8, 1981 *
vs. American Championship game
W 63–60
22–7
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NCAA Tournament
Mar 12, 1981 *
(9 ME)
vs. (8 ME) Creighton First round
W 59–57
23–7
University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio
Mar 14, 1981 *
(9 ME)
vs. (1 ME) No. 1 DePaul Second round
W 49–48[ 3]
24–7
University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio
Mar 20, 1981 *
(9 ME)
vs. (5 ME) Boston College Mideast Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 42–41
25–7
Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana
Mar 22, 1981 *
(9 ME)
vs. (3 ME) No. 9 Indiana Mideast Regional Final – Elite Eight
L 46–78[ 2]
25–8
Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
ME=Mideast.
[ 4]
Rankings
[ 5]
References
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearance in italics