1980–81 Northeastern Huskies men's basketball team

1980–81 Northeastern Huskies men's basketball
ECAC North Regular-season champion
ECAC North Conference tournament champion
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceEastern College Athletic Conference-North
Record24–6 (6–0 ECAC-North)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMatthews Arena
Seasons
1980–81 ECAC North men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Northeastern † 21 – 5   .808 24 – 6   .800
Holy Cross 18 – 8   .692 20 – 10   .667
Vermont 15 – 11   .577 16 – 12   .571
Maine 13 – 13   .500 14 – 14   .500
Boston University 13 – 13   .500 13 – 14   .481
Canisius 11 – 15   .423 11 – 15   .423
Niagara 11 – 15   .423 11 – 15   .423
Colgate 11 – 17   .393 11 – 18   .379
New Hampshire 3 – 7   .300 7 – 19   .269
† 1981 ECAC North tournament winner

The 1980–81 Northeastern Huskies men's basketball team represented Northeastern University during the 1980–81 college basketball season. Led by head coach Jim Calhoun, the Huskies competed in the ECAC North Conference and played their home games at Matthews Arena. They finished the season 24–6 overall with a 6–0 mark in ECAC North play to win the regular season conference title. They followed the regular season by winning the ECAC North Conference tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the West region. After upsetting Fresno State in the opening round, the Huskies were defeated in the second round by No. 3 seed Utah, 94–69.

Roster

1980–81 Northeastern Huskies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 4 Perry Moss 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
—
 So Amherst HS Amherst, Massachusetts
G 5 Glenn Miller 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Robert E. Fitch HS Groton, Connecticut
G 22 Phil Robinson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr St. Anthony HS Jersey City, New Jersey
F 33 Mark Halsel 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
 Fr Schenley HS Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
C 34 Russ Ziemba 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr St. Joseph HS Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[1][2]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Jan 17, 1981*
 Drexel W 77–65  10–2
 Matthews Arena 
Boston, Massachusetts
ECAC North tournament
Mar 6, 1981*
 vs. Vermont
Semifinals 		W 76–69 OT 22–5
 Alfond Arena 
Orono, Maine
Mar 7, 1981*
 Holy Cross
Championship game 		W 81–79 OT 23–5
 Matthews Arena 
Boston, Massachusetts
NCAA Tournament
Mar 13, 1981*
 (11 W) vs. (6 W) Fresno State
First round 		W 55–53  24–5
 Special Events Center 
El Paso, Texas
Mar 15, 1981*
 (11 W) vs. (3 W) No. 14 Utah
Second round 		L 69–94[3]  24–6
 Special Events Center 
El Paso, Texas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.

[4]

References

  1. ^ "1980s Northeastern MBB by the Year". Northeastern University Athletics. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "1980–81 Northeastern Huskies Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "North Carolina Wins". The New York Times. March 16, 1981. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "2020-21 Northeastern Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Northeastern University Athletics. Retrieved February 25, 2023.