1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball
Sun Belt Regular season champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record23–6 (12–2 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Home arenaJaguar Gym
Mobile Municipal Auditorium
1979–80 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
South Alabama122 .857236  .793
UAB104 .7141812  .600
Jacksonville104 .714209  .690
UNC Charlotte95 .6431512  .556
VCU86 .5711812  .600
Georgia State410 .286621  .222
New Orleans212 .143521  .192
South Florida113 .071621  .222
1980 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team represented the University of South Alabama during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Jaguars were led by head coach Cliff Ellis, in his third year as head coach. They played their home games at the Mobile Civic Center, and were members of the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama finished the season 23–6, 12–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in first place. They were upset by Jacksonville in the Sun Belt tournament, but did receive an at-large bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest region. In the opening round, the Jaguars lost to Alcorn State, 70–62.[1]

Roster

1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
F Rory White 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) Jr Tuskegee, Alabama
F 15 Ed Rains 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Jr Ocala, Florida
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 (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    Dec 1, 1979*
    at No. 10 Louisville L 73–75  0–1
    Freedom Hall 
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Dec 3, 1979*
    McNeese State W 61–58  1–1
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Dec 7, 1979*
    at Tennessee Tech W 97–68  2–1
    Eblen Center 
    Cookeville, Tennessee
    Dec 8, 1979*
    at Middle Tennessee W 55–49  3–1
    Murphy Center 
    Murfreesboro, Tennessee
    Dec 13, 1979*
    at Hardin-Simmons W 81–63  4–1
     
     
    Dec 15, 1979*
    Oregon Tech W 98–62  5–1
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Dec 17, 1979
    at VCU W 60–56  6–1
    (1–0)
    Richmond Coliseum 
    Richmond, Virginia
    Dec 19, 1979
    at New Orleans W 65–54  7–1
    (2–0)
    Human Performance Center 
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Dec 27, 1979*
    Rider
    Senior Bowl
    W 101–72  8–1
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Dec 28, 1979*
    Alcorn State
    Senior Bowl
    L 77–82  8–2
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 3, 1980*
    Missouri Baptist W 105–47  9–2
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 5, 1980
    VCU L 74–87  9–3
    (2–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 7, 1980
    at Georgia State W 70–61  10–3
    (3–1)
    GSU Sports Arena 
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Jan 9, 1980
    at Jacksonville W 64–63  11–3
    (4–1)
    Jacksonville Coliseum 
    Jacksonville, Florida
    Jan 13, 1980
    South Florida W 85–55  12–3
    (5–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 16, 1980
    Georgia State W 70–59  13–3
    (6–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 18, 1980
    New Orleans W 74–56  14–3
    (7–1)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 24, 1980
    UAB L 62–70  14–4
    (7–2)
    Mobile Civic Center (10,513)
    Mobile, Alabama
    Jan 26, 1980
    at UNC Charlotte W 80–69  15–4
    (8–2)
    Independence Arena 
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Jan 28, 1980
    at South Florida W 88–72  16–4
    (9–2)
    Curtis Hixon Hall 
    Tampa, Florida
    Jan 30, 1980
    UNC Charlotte W 66–65  17–4
    (10–2)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 4, 1980
    Jacksonville W 65–58  18–4
    (11–2)
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 7, 1980*
    at Georgia Southern W 94–79  19–4
    Hanner Fieldhouse 
    Statesboro, Georgia
    Feb 12, 1980*
    Georgia Southern W 89–61  20–4
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 15, 1980*
    Hardin-Simmons W 76–64  21–4
    Jaguar Gym 
    Mobile, Alabama
    Feb 17, 1980
    at UAB W 66–65  22–4
    (12–2)
    BJCC Arena (8,352)
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Sun Belt Conference tournament
    Feb 23, 1980*
    vs. South Florida
    Quarterfinals
    W 86–57  23–4
    Charlotte Coliseum 
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Feb 24, 1980*
    vs. VCU
    Semifinals
    L 72–74  23–5
    Charlotte Coliseum 
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    NCAA tournament
    Mar 7, 1980*
    (9 MW) vs. (8 MW) Alcorn State
    First round
    L 62–70  23–6
    UNT Coliseum 
    Denton, Texas
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    MW=Midwest.
    All times are in Central Time.

    [2]

    References

    1. "Rutgers, Syracuse Fives Advance". The New York Times. March 11, 1979. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
    2. "2019-20 South Alabama Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of South Alabama Athletics. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
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