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

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]

1980–81 Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball
ECC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	East Coast Conference
Record	25–8 (9–2 ECC)
Head coach	Jim Lynam (3rd season)
Assistant coach	Jim Boyle
Home arena	Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse
Seasons ← 1979–80 1981–82 →

1980–81 ECC men's basketball standings

v t e	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

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 Jim Boyle Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Dec 2, 1980*		at Rider	W 71–55	1–0	Alumni Gymnasium  Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Dec 6, 1980*		West Chester	W 83–60	2–0	Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 9, 1980*		at Princeton	W 51–50	3–0	Jadwin Gymnasium  Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 11, 1980*		at Cornell	W 42–39	4–0	Barton Hall  Ithaca, New York
Dec 13, 1980*		Jacksonville	W 45–40	5–0	Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 27, 1980*		at Michigan State	L 67–71	5–1	Jenison Field House  East Lansing, Michigan
Dec 29, 1980*		vs. Bowling Green State	W 87–76	6–1	Cole Fieldhouse  College Park, Maryland
Dec 30, 1980*		at No. 9 Maryland	L 57–74	6–2	Cole Fieldhouse  College Park, Maryland
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

Main article: 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

^[5]

References

1. "St. Joseph's, Indiana Gain Mideast Final; Eagles Ousted 42-41". The New York Times. March 21, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
2. "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.