1980–81 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team

1980–81 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball
ECC tournament champions
ConferenceEast Coast Conference
Record25–8 (9–2 ECC)
Head coach
Assistant coachJim Boyle
Home arenaAlumni Memorial Fieldhouse
Seasons
1980–81 ECC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
American 11 0   1.000 24 6   .800
Saint Joseph's 9 2   .818 25 8   .758
Temple 9 2   .818 20 8   .714
La Salle 8 3   .727 14 13   .519
Drexel 6 5   .545 14 13   .519
Hofstra 5 6   .455 12 15   .444
West
Lafayette 8 8   .500 15 13   .536
Rider 8 8   .500 14 14   .500
Bucknell 6 10   .375 12 16   .429
Lehigh 6 10   .375 14 12   .538
Delaware 3 13   .188 6 19   .240
West Chester 2 14   .125 7 20   .259
1981 ECC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

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

[edit]
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

[edit]
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

[edit]

[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "St. Joseph's, Indiana Gain Mideast Final; Eagles Ousted 42-41". The New York Times. March 21, 1981. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "INDIANA GAINS FINAL FOUR, ROUTING ST. JOSEPH'S, 78-46". The New York Times. March 23, 1981. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Hawks' Upset of DePaul in 1981 Recognized as One of the Top Moments in March Madness History". Saint Joseph's University Athletics. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "2018-19 Saint Joseph's Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Saint Joseph's Hawks. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  5. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 988–989. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.