1980–81 Utah Utes men's basketball team

[2] The 1980–81 Utah Utes men's basketball team represented the University of Utah in the 1980-81 season. Head coach Jerry Pimm, and Senior stars Tom Chambers and Danny Vranes would lead the Utes to a Western Athletic Conference championship and the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. In the best season the Utes would have under Pimm, the team finished with an overall record of 25–5 (13–3 WAC). Vranes and Chambers were both selected in the top 8 picks of the NBA Draft. Chambers, drafted by the San Diego (Now Los Angeles) Clippers, would go on to play for several NBA teams in his career, most notably the Phoenix Suns, with whom he would make an appearance in the 1993 NBA Finals; and the Utah Jazz.

1980–81 Utah Utes men's basketball
WAC regular season Champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 14
Record25–5 (13–3 WAC)
Head coach
Home arenaSpecial Events Center
1980–81 WAC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 14 Utah133 .813255  .833
No. 17 Wyoming133 .813246  .800
No. 16 BYU124 .750257  .781
UTEP97 .5631812  .600
San Diego State88 .5001512  .556
Hawaii79 .4381413  .519
New Mexico610 .3751115  .423
Air Force313 .188918  .333
Colorado State115 .063324  .111
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

1980–81 Utah Utes men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
G 20 Pace Mannion 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)190 lb (86 kg) So Paradise, Nevada
F 23 Danny Vranes 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) Sr Salt Lake City, Utah
F/C 42 Tom Chambers 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) Sr Ogden, Utah
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

    [3]

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
    city, state
    Regular season
    Dec 6, 1980*
    Weber State W 76–61  1–0
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Dec 9, 1980*
    at Utah State W 83–81  2–0
    Dee Glen Smith Spectrum 
    Logan, Utah
    Dec 12, 1980*
    Oklahoma State W 89–73  3–0
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Dec 13, 1980*
    Nebraska W 57–55  4–0
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Dec 16, 1980*
    Utah State W 99–74  5–0
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Dec 20, 1980*
    at No. 20 Louisville W 78–59  6–0
    Freedom Hall 
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Dec 26, 1980*
    No. 19 vs. Drake
    Far West Classic
    L 68–69  6–1
    Memorial Coliseum 
    Portland, Oregon
    Dec 27, 1980*
    No. 19 vs. Cal State Fullerton
    Far West Classic
    W 76–70  7–1
    Memorial Coliseum 
    Portland, Oregon
    Dec 28, 1980*
    No. 19 vs. Northwestern
    Far West Classic
    W 73–63  8–1
    Memorial Coliseum 
    Portland, Oregon
    Jan 2, 1981*
    No. 20 at UNLV W 76–75  9–1
    Las Vegas Convention Center 
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Jan 3, 1981
    No. 20 at Air Force W 74–60  10–1
    (1–0)
    Clune Arena 
    Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Jan 8, 1981
    No. 18 Hawaii W 100–87  11–1
    (2–0)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Jan 10, 1981
    No. 18 San Diego State W 97–74  12–1
    (3–0)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Jan 15, 1981
    No. 16 at UTEP W 69–64  13–1
    (4–0)
    Special Events Center 
    El Paso, Texas
    Jan 17, 1981
    No. 16 at New Mexico W 82–76  14–1
    (5–0)
    The Pit 
    Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Jan 23, 1981
    No. 14 Wyoming W 55–53  15–1
    (6–0)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Jan 24, 1981
    No. 14 Colorado State W 86–56  16–1
    (7–0)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Jan 31, 1981
    No. 9 No. 15 BYU W 60–56  17–1
    (8–0)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Feb 6, 1981
    No. 7 Air Force W 48–46  18–1
    (9–0)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Feb 7, 1981
    No. 7 UNLV W 95–83  20–1
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Feb 12, 1981
    No. 6 at San Diego State W 62–53  21–1
    (10–0)
    San Diego Sports Arena 
    San Diego, California
    Feb 14, 1981
    No. 6 at Hawaii L 74–83  21–2
    (10–1)
    Neal S. Blaisdell Center 
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    Feb 19, 1981
    No. 9 New Mexico W 90–73  22–2
    (11–1)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Feb 21, 1981
    No. 9 UTEP W 69–59  23–2
    (12–1)
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    Feb 26, 1981
    No. 7 at Colorado State W 73–50  24–2
    (13–1)
    Moby Arena 
    Fort Collins, Colorado
    Feb 28, 1981
    No. 7 at Wyoming L 50–53  24–3
    (13–2)
    War Memorial Fieldhouse 
    Laramie, Wyoming
    Mar 7, 1981
    No. 9 at No. 18 BYU L 76–95  24–4
    (13–3)
    Marriott Center 
    Provo, Utah
    NCAA tournament
    Mar 15, 1981*
    (3 W) No. 14 vs. (11 W) Northeastern
    Second Round
    W 94–69  25–4
    Special Events Center 
    El Paso, Texas
    Mar 19, 1981*
    (3 W) No. 14 vs. (2 W) No. 6 North Carolina
    Regional semifinal Sweet Sixteen
    L 56–61[4]  25–5
    Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, Utah
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    W=West.

    NCAA tournament

    [5] 3/15/1981, second round Vs. Northeastern @ Don Haskins Center, El Paso, TX - W, 94-69
    3/19/1981, Sweet Sixteen Vs. North Carolina @ Special Events Center, Salt Lake City, UT - L, 56-61

    Rankings

    [6]

    NBA draft

    Round Pick Player NBA Club
    15Danny VranesSeattle SuperSonics
    18Tom ChambersSan Diego Clippers
    Source:[7]

    References

    1. sports-reference.com 1980-81 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
    2. "1980-81 Utah Utes Schedule and Results - College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
    3. "1980–81 Utah Utes Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
    4. "B.Y.U. Defeats Irish, 51-50; North Carolina Ousts Utah". The New York Times. March 20, 1981. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
    5. "NCAA basketball tournament History: Utah Utes - ESPN". ESPN.com.
    6. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 877–878. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
    7. "1981 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
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