1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
| 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| Preseason AP #1 | Indiana Hoosiers |
| NCAA Tournament | 1980 |
| Tournament dates | March 6, 1980 – March 24, 1980 |
| National Championship |
Market Square Arena Indianapolis |
| NCAA Champions | Louisville Cardinals |
| Helms National Champions | Louisville Cardinals |
| Other champions | Virginia Cavaliers (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden) |
Mark Aguirre, DePaul (Wooden) Darrell Griffith, Louisville (Naismith) |
The 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 17, 1979, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 24, 1980, at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. The Louisville Cardinals won their first NCAA national championship with a 59–54 victory over the UCLA Bruins.
The top 20 from the AP and UPI polls during the pre-season.
Note: From 1975 to 1982, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1980 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did. The ECAC North was a separate, conventional conference.
Louisville's "doctors of dunk" brought Denny Crum his first NCAA title with a 59–54 win over surprise finalist UCLA and coach Larry Brown. Wooden Award winner Darrell Griffith was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
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