1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

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1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo.svg
NCAA Tournament, Second Round L 84–87 OT vs. Missouri
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
APNo. 9
1979–80 record22–6
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Captains
Home arenaJoyce Center
Seasons
1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 DePaul –   – 26 – 2   .929
No. 9 Notre Dame –   – 23 – 8   .742
Tennessee State –   – 19 – 7   .731
UNLV –   – 23 – 9   .719
Cleveland State –   – 18 – 8   .692
Illinois State –   – 20 – 9   .690
Marquette –   – 18 – 9   .667
UNC Wilmington –   – 19 – 10   .655
Penn State –   – 18 – 10   .643
Southern Mississippi –   – 17 – 10   .630
South Carolina –   – 16 – 11   .593
Campbell –   – 15 – 12   .556
East Carolina –   – 15 – 12   .556
Stetson –   – 15 – 12   .556
Detroit –   – 14 – 13   .519
Dayton –   – 13 – 14   .481
North Texas State –   – 13 – 14   .481
Milwaukee –   – 9 – 17   .346
Valparaiso –   – 8 – 18   .308
Portland State –   – 5 – 21   .192
Charleston Southern –   – 2 – 23   .080
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was coached by Digger Phelps and was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the entirety of the season.

Preseason[]

The Irish were ranked fifth in the preseason AP Poll, behind Indiana, Kentucky, Duke and Ohio State.[1] While they lost frontcourt contributors Bruce Flowers and Bill Laimbeer to graduation, they added a recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by the 1979–80 Street & Smith basketball yearbook.[2] The class included McDonald's All-Americans Tim Andree and John Paxson and highly regarded forward Bill Varner.[3][4] Key returning players were 1979 All-American Kelly Tripucka and future National Basketball Association (NBA) players Tracy Jackson, Bill Hanzlik and Orlando Woolridge. Woolridge was moved from forward to center to replace Flowers and Laimbeer.[5][6] Senior point guard Rich Branning was selected co-captain of the team with Hanzlik.[7]

Leading up to an Olympic year, Notre Dame played an exhibition game against the Soviet National Team, notching a surprising 86–76 win behind Tripucka's 35 points.[8]

Regular season[]

The Irish suffered an early setback as senior co-captain Hanzlik missed several games with a dislocated finger,[9][7] but fared well, compiling a 6–0 record in his absence, including a marquee win against UCLA.[10] The Irish won the contest behind clutch free throws and defense from freshman John Paxson.[11] After the team's fast start, The Irish found themselves ranked third in the country and facing second-ranked Kentucky at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Despite the Wildcats missing starters Sam Bowie and Dirk Minniefield, the Irish lost the game 80–86.[12] A January loss to San Francisco left the Irish on a two-game losing streak.[13] The highlight of the Irish's season came on February 27, 1980 when they upset top-ranked DePaul 76–74 in double-overtime. The Irish were led by Kelly Tripucka's 28 points and the win was sealed by two free throws by Orlando Woolridge. The Irish were able to overcome a big scoring push by future NBA All-Stars Mark Aguirre (28 points) and Terry Cummings (16).[14][15] A regular-season finale 62–54 win at Dayton raised the Irish's record to 22–5.[16]

Roster[]

1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 12 Rich Branning 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Huntington Beach, California
G 42 Bill Hanzlik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Beloit, Wisconsin
F 22 Kevin Hawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Los Angeles, California
G 11 Tim Healy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
F 30 Tracy Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Silver Spring, Maryland
G 15 Mike Mitchell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So San Bruno, California
G 23 John Paxson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Kettering, Ohio
C 55 Gilbert Salinas 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr San Antonio, Texas
F 44 Kelly Tripucka 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Essex Fells, New Jersey
C 32 Orlando Woolridge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Mansfield, Louisiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

NCAA Tournament[]

Notre Dame was selected for the 1980 NCAA Tournament and were the 4 seed in the Midwest Region, slated to play the winner of a first-round game between Missouri and San Jose State in Lincoln, Nebraska.[17] Fifth-seeded Missouri upset the Irish 87–84 in overtime behind senior Mark Dressler's 32 points, wasting a 29-point effort by Tracy Jackson.[18]

Schedule[]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
December 1
 No. 5 Valparaiso W 92–66  1–0
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
December 3
 No. 5 Iowa State W 87–77  2–0
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
December 5
 No. 4 at Northwestern W 73–56  3–0
 Welsh-Ryan Arena 
Evanston, Illinois
December 8
 No. 4 Saint Louis W 93–66  4–0
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
December 11
 No. 4 No. 7 UCLA W 77–74  5–0
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
December 13
 No. 4 No. 7 St. Joseph's (IN) W 79–58  6–0
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
December 22
 No. 4 Fairfield W 69–59  7–0
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
December 29
 No. 3 No. 2 Kentucky L 80–86  7–1
 Freedom Hall 
Louisville, Kentucky
January 8
 No. 7 at San Francisco L 59–67  7–2
 War Memorial Gymnasium 
San Francisco, CA
January 10
 No. 7 at Tulane W 79–59  8–2
 Avron B. Fogelman Arena 
New Orleans, Louisiana
January 13
 No. 7 at TCU W 85–68  9–2
 Daniel-Meyer Coliseum 
Fort Worth, Texas
January 15
 No. 8 Villanova W 70–69  10–2
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
January 19
 No. 8 at UCLA W 80–73  11–2
 Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, California
January 23
 No. 8 Canisius W 84–63  12–2
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
January 26
 No. 8 No. 15 Maryland W 64–63  13–2
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
January 30
 No. 8 at La Salle W 64–63  13–3
 Palestra 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 2
 No. 8 Davidson W 105–71  14–3
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
February 4
 No. 8 Navy W 67–53  15–3
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
February 6
 No. 9 Manhattan W 93–49  16–3
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
February 9
 No. 9 North Carolina State L 55–63  16–4
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
February 11
 No. 9 San Francisco W 78–66  17–4
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
February 13
 No. 12 at Fordham W 86–76  18–4
 Rose Hill Gymnasium 
Bronx, NY
February 16
 No. 12 at South Carolina W 90–66  19–4
 Carolina Coliseum 
Columbia, SC
February 20
 No. 10 at Xavier W 85–72  20–4
 Riverfront Coliseum 
Cincinnati, OH
February 24
 No. 10 Marquette L 74–77  20–5
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
February 27
 No. 14 No. 1 DePaul W 76–74  21–5
 Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
March 1
 No. 14 at Dayton W 62–54  22–5
 UD Arena 
Dayton, OH
NCAA Tournament
March 8
 (4) No. 9 vs. (5) No. 16 Missouri
NCAA Tournament • Second Round 		L 84–87 OT 22–6
 Bob Devaney Sports Center 
Lincoln, NE
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

[19]

Players selected in NBA drafts[]

Year Round Pick Player NBA Club
1980 1 20 Bill Hanzlik Seattle SuperSonics
1980 4 78 Rich Branning Indiana Pacers
1981 1 6 Orlando Woolridge Chicago Bulls
1981 1 12 Kelly Tripucka Detroit Pistons
1981 2 25 Tracy Jackson Boston Celtics
1981 8 167 Gilbert Salinas Atlanta Hawks
1983 1 19 John Paxson San Antonio Spurs
1983 5 98 Tim Andree Chicago Bulls
1983 9 202 Bill Varner Milwaukee Bucks

[20]

References[]

  1. ^ "Indiana no. 1 in preseason poll". The News-Press. November 16, 1979. p. 40. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. ^ "1979–80 Official Basketball Yearbook". Street & Smith's Official Yearbook. New York City: Condé Nast Publications. October 1979. pp. 26, 73.
  3. ^ Francisco, Joel (May 26, 2009). "Many players succeeded after '79 game". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  4. ^ "Golden dome shines brightly for Varner". Pittsburgh Press. June 5, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. ^ Goldaper, Sam (November 25, 1979). "A Preview of the 20 Top College Basketball Teams". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Top 20". Sports Illustrated. December 1, 1980. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Notre Dame's pied piper plays sweet Irish tune". Indianapolis News. December 28, 1979. p. 24. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. ^ "Notre Dame 'outsmarts' Russians". The Dispatch. November 16, 1979. p. 23. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. ^ "Bill Hanzlik to sit out UCLA tilt". Indianapolis Star. December 11, 1979. p. 31. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  10. ^ "Notre Dame-UCLA better than expected". Indianapolis Star. December 13, 1979. p. 53. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  11. ^ "Irish rookie sinks 4 free throws, UCLA". Detroit Free Press. December 13, 1979. p. 53. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  12. ^ "Bowie-less Kentucky impressed Irish coach". The Paducah Sun. December 31, 1979. p. 15. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  13. ^ "San Francisco center's about face stuns Notre Dame". Chillicothe Gazette. January 9, 1980. p. 17. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  14. ^ "Woolridge free throws spark Irish past DePaul". The Pantagraph. February 28, 1980. p. 11. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  15. ^ "Irish do unto DePaul as they have others". Decatur Daily Review. February 28, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  16. ^ "Notre Dame bounces Dayton with late surge". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 2, 1980. p. 33. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  17. ^ "Tourney a matter of momentum". South Bend Tribune. March 4, 1980. p. 26. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  18. ^ "Missouri stuns Irish in overtime". Kokomo Tribune. March 9, 1980. p. 22. Retrieved March 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  19. ^ "1979-80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "Notre Dame draft history at basketball-reference.com". Retrieved March 3, 2019.
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