1980–81 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented California State University, Fresno during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Boyd Grant's fourth season at Fresno State. The Bulldogs played their home games at Selland Arena and were members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. They finished the season 25–4, 12–2 in PCAA play to win the conference regular season title. They defeated San Jose State to win the PCAA tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs were upset in the opening round by Northeastern, 55–53.[1]

1980–81 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball
PCAA Regular season champion
PCAA tournament champion
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferencePacific Coast Athletic Association Conference
Record25–4 (12–2 PCAA)
Head coach
Home arenaSelland Arena
1980–81 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Fresno State122 .857254  .862
San Jose State104 .714219  .700
UC Irvine95 .6431710  .630
Long Beach State95 .6431513  .536
Utah State59 .3571216  .429
UC Santa Barbara59 .3571116  .407
Pacific410 .2861413  .519
Cal State Fullerton212 .143423  .148
1981 PCAA tournament winner

Roster

1980–81 Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 22 Rod Higgins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS JrThornton Township Harvey, Illinois
F 34 Bernard Thompson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS FrSouth Mountain HS Phoenix, Arizona
F Pete Verhoeven 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
RS Sr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
    city, state
    Regular season
    Nov 28, 1980*
    Air Force W 55–40  1–0
    Selland Arena 
    Fresno, California
    Nov 29, 1980*
    Portland State W 96–65  2–0
    Selland Arena 
    Fresno, California
    Dec 1, 1980*
    at Arizona W 77–65  3–0
    McKale Center 
    Tucson, Arizona
    Dec 6, 1980*
    at Boise State W 65–40  4–0
    Bronco Gym 
    Boise, Idaho
    Dec 9, 1980*
    Arizona W 70–60  5–0
    Selland Arena 
    Fresno, California
    Dec 20, 1980*
    Mississippi State W 58–45  6–0
    Selland Arena 
    Fresno, California
    Dec 29, 1980*
    at Northern Illinois W 71–59  7–0
    Chick Evans Field House 
    DeKalb, Illinois
    Dec 31, 1980*
    at Kansas State L 39–47  7–1
    Ahearn Field House 
    Manhattan, Kansas
    PCAA Tournament
    Mar 6, 1981*
    vs. Utah State
    Semifinals
    W 71–57  20–3
    Anaheim Convention Center 
    Anaheim, California
    Mar 7, 1981*
    vs. San Jose State
    Championship game
    W 52–48  25–3
    Anaheim Convention Center 
    Anaheim, California
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 13, 1981*
    (6 W) vs. (11 W) Northeastern
    First round
    L 53–55  25–4
    Special Events Center 
    El Paso, Texas
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    W=West.

    [2]

    Rankings

    [3]

    NBA draft

    Round Pick Player NBA Club
    485Peter VerhoevenPortland Trail Blazers

    [4]

    References

    1. "ALA.-BIRMINGHAM OUSTS VIRGINIA; GEORGETOWN GAINS; FRESNO STATE FALLS, 58-40-OREGON STATE ROUTS IDAHO". The New York Times. March 19, 1982. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
    2. "1980–81 Fresno State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
      • ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 877–878. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.
    3. "1981 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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