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1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

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1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Ranking
APNo. 19
Record29–5 ( ECAC Metro)
Head coach
Home arenaHynes Athletic Center
Seasons
1979–80 ECAC Metro men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Iona   28 4   .875
Saint Peter's   22 9   .710
Long Island   14 12   .538
Wagner   14 13   .519
Siena   14 14   .500
Fairleigh Dickinson   13 14   .481
St. Francis (NY)   11 15   .423
Fairfield   11 16   .407
Fordham   11 17   .393
Army   9 17   .346
Manhattan   4 22   .154
1980 ECAC Metro tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
*Iona vacated NCAA Tournament games due to NCAA sanctions. Disputed record (29–5)

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

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1979–80 Iona Gaels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 14 Kevin Hamilton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Sr
G Glenn Vickers 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Sr
C 43 Jeff Ruland 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Sachem HS Lake Ronkonkoma, New York
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

[5]

Schedule and results

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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

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Awards and honors

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NBA draft

[edit]
Round Pick Player NBA club
2 25 Jeff Ruland Golden State Warriors

[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Iona Beats Holy Cross, Meets GU". The Washington Post. March 8, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Iona Wins, 84-78, In East Regional; First N.C.A.A. Victory". The New York Times. March 8, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Georgetown Nips Iona to Gain East Semifinals". The Washington Post. March 10, 1980. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "1979–80 Iona Gaels Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "Iona MBB To Honor 40 Year Anniversary of Historic 1980 Victory Over Louisville". Iona College Athletics. January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "1979-80 Men's Basketball Schedule". Iona College Athletics. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "2019-20 Iona Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Iona College Athletics. p. 52. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  9. ^ "1980 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.