1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona College during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Gaels, led by fifth-year head coach Jim Valvano , played their home games at the Hynes Athletic Center . The Gaels won the ECAC Metro Basketball tournament to receive a bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament . As the No. 6 seed in the East region, the Gaels defeated No. 11 seed Holy Cross in the opening round[ 1] – the first and only NCAA Tournament victory in school history.[ 2] Iona was narrowly defeated by No. 3 seed Georgetown in the round of 32.[ 3] As of the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season , this is the furthest any Iona men's team has ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
On February 21, Iona halted No. 2 Louisville ’s 18-game winning streak by dominating the Cardinals, 77–60, at Madison Square Garden.[ 4] It was the last game Louisville would lose during the season en route to winning the 1980 NCAA Championship. It was the 12th straight of what would end up being a 17-game win streak for the Gaels.
Roster
1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
[ 5]
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
Nov 30, 1979 *
vs. No. 14 Texas A&M Great Alaska Shootout
W 78–52
1–0
Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 1, 1979 *
vs. Long Beach State Great Alaska Shootout
W 86–75
2–0
Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 2, 1979 *
vs. No. 2 Kentucky Great Alaska Shootout
L 50–57
2–1
Buckner Fieldhouse Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 8, 1979 *
at Saint Mary's
W 79–73
3–1
McKeon Pavilion Moraga, California
Dec 11, 1979 *
at San Francisco
L 66–76
3–2
War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California
Dec 15, 1979 *
Fairleigh Dickinson
W 75–58
4–2
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Dec 23, 1979 *
Belmont Abbey
W 54–48
5–2
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Dec 28, 1979 *
Air Force Iona Classic
W 64–51
6–2
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Dec 29, 1979 *
St. Bonaventure Iona Classic
W 75–67
7–2
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Jan 3, 1980 *
Wichita State
W 84–70
8–2
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Jan 5, 1980 *
at No. 18 Georgetown
L 84–95
8–3
McDonough Gymnasium (3,805)Washington, D.C.
Jan 7, 1980 *
Baltimore
W 68–51
9–3
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Jan 12, 1980 *
at Alabama-Birmingham
W 70–65
10–3
Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, Alabama
Jan 17, 1980 *
McNeese State
W 76–66
11–3
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Jan 19, 1980 *
at Niagara
W 88–74
12–3
Niagara Falls Convention Center Lewiston, New York
Jan 21, 1980 *
at Pittsburgh
L 63–75
12–4
Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jan 23, 1980 *
Colgate
W 54–49
13–4
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Jan 26, 1980 *
at Holy Cross
W 82–67
14–4
Hart Center Worcester, Massachusetts
Jan 30, 1980 *
at Wagner
W 77–73
15–4
Sutter Gymnasium Staten Island, New York
Feb 2, 1980 *
at Fordham
W 65–59
16–4
Rose Hill Gym Bronx, New York
Feb 4, 1980 *
Saint Peter's
W 65–62
17–4
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Feb 7, 1980 *
Kansas
W 81–77
18–4
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
Feb 9, 1980 *
Army
W 67–54
19–4
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Feb 11, 1980 *
Saint Francis (PA)
W 72–62
20–4
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Feb 14, 1980 *
at Manhattan
W 70–57
21–4
Draddy Gymnasium New York, New York
Feb 16, 1980 *
at Long Island University
W 85–72
22–4
Schwartz Athletic Center
Feb 18, 1980 *
Siena
W 84–72
23–4
Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York
Feb 21, 1980 *
No. 2 Louisville
W 77–60[ 4] [ 6]
24–4
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
Feb 23, 1980 *
at Fairfield
W 74–53
25–4
Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut
ECAC Metro tournament
Feb 28, 1980 *
Fairleigh Dickinson Quarterfinals
W 69–53
26–4
Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York
Feb 29, 1980 *
vs. Siena Semifinals
W 76–70
27–4
Alumni Hall Queens, New York
Mar 1, 1980 *
vs. Saint Peter's Championship game
W 64–46
28–4
Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York
NCAA tournament
Mar 7, 1980 *
(6 E) No. 19
vs. (11 E) Holy Cross First round
W 84–78[ 1]
29–4
Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island
Mar 9, 1980 *
(6 E) No. 19
vs. (3 E) No. 11 Georgetown First round
L 71–74[ 3]
29–5
Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
[ 7] [ 8]
Rankings
Awards and honors
NBA draft
[ 9]
References
^ a b "Iona Beats Holy Cross, Meets GU" . The Washington Post . March 8, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ "Iona Wins, 84-78, In East Regional; First N.C.A.A. Victory" . The New York Times . March 8, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ a b "Georgetown Nips Iona to Gain East Semifinals" . The Washington Post . March 10, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ a b "Iona Upsets Louisville; De Paul (24-0) Wins; Conqueror of St. John's" . The New York Times . February 22, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ "1979–80 Iona Gaels Roster and Stats" . Sports Reference . Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ "Iona MBB To Honor 40 Year Anniversary of Historic 1980 Victory Over Louisville" . Iona College Athletics . January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ "1979-80 Men's Basketball Schedule" . Iona College Athletics . Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ "2019-20 Iona Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF) . Iona College Athletics . p. 52. Retrieved January 30, 2022 .
^ "1980 NBA Draft" . Basketball-reference.com . Retrieved January 30, 2022 .