1980–81 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team explained

Year:	1980–81
Sex:	none
Team:	Tennessee Volunteers
Sport:	Basketball
Conference:	Southeastern Conference
Division:	East
Short Conf:	SEC
Coachrank:	15
Aprank:	15
Record:	21–8
Conf Record:	12–6
Hc Year:	3rd
Tourney Result:	Sweet Sixteen

The 1980–81 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1980–81 college basketball season. Led by third-year head coach Don DeVoe, the team played their home games at the Stokely Athletic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers finished with a record of 21–8 (12–6 SEC, 2nd) and received an at-large bid to the 1981 NCAA tournament as the 4 seed in the East region. After an opening round win over VCU, Tennessee was defeated by No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Virginia, 62–48.^[1]

This was the third of five straight seasons of NCAA Tournament basketball for the Tennessee men's program. The Volunteers would not reach the Sweet Sixteen again until the 2000 NCAA tournament.

Roster

^[2]

Schedule and results

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Regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| SEC tournament|-!colspan=9 style=| NCAA tournament^{[3] [4]}

Rankings

See main article: 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. ^[5]

NBA draft

See main article: 1981 NBA draft.

2

27

Utah Jazz

^[6]

Notes and References

1. News: Virginia Routs Tennessee . . March 20, 1981 . February 24, 2023.
2. Web site: 1980-81 Men's Basketball Roster . . February 19, 2023.
3. Web site: 1980-81 Men's Basketball Schedule . . February 19, 2023.
4. Web site: 2019-20 Tennessee Men's Basketball Media Guide . . February 19, 2023.
5. • Book: ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 921–922. 2009. 978-0-345-51392-2.
6. Web site: 1981 NBA Draft. Basketball-reference.com. February 19, 2023.