1979–80 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

1979–80 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
EAA Regular season champions EAA Tournament champions
NCAA Men's Division I Tournament, Second round
Conference	Eastern Athletic Association
Record	23–8 (7–3 EAA)
Head coach	Rollie Massimino (7th season)
Assistant coaches	Mitch Buonaguro (3rd season) Marty Marbach (1st season) Harry Booth
Home arena	Villanova Field House

1979–80 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Villanova †	7	–	3		.700			23	–	8		.742
Duquesne	6	–	3		.667			18	–	10		.643
Rutgers	6	–	3		.667			14	–	14		.500
Pittsburgh	5	–	4		.556			17	–	12		.586
George Washington	5	–	5		.500			15	–	11		.577
St. Bonaventure	1	–	3		.250			16	–	11		.593
West Virginia	4	–	4		.500			15	–	14		.517
UMass	0	–	9		.000			2	–	24		.077
† 1980 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979–80 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rollie Massimino. The team played its home games at Villanova Field House in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Eastern Athletic Association. The team won the regular season Big East title and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Syracuse. Villanova finished with a 23–8 record (7–3 Big East).

Roster

1979–80 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 3 Rory Sparrow 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) — Sr Paterson, New Jersey G 10 Stewart Granger 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Brooklyn, New York F 44 Alex Bradley 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Long Branch, New Jersey F 45 John Pinone 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Hartford, Connecticut G 14 Jeff Sherry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Macungie, Pennsylvania	Head coach Rollie Massimino (Vermont) Assistant coach(es) Mitch Buonaguro (Boston College) Marty Marbach (Saint Francis (PA)) Harry Booth (Saint Joseph's) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Dec 10, 1979*		at Princeton	W 57–55	3–0	Jadwin Gymnasium  Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 28, 1979*		vs. Saint Francis (PA)	W 93–66	6–1	Rochester Community War Memorial  Rochester, New York
Dec 29, 1979*		vs. No. 9 Syracuse	L 84–92	6–2	Rochester Community War Memorial  Rochester, New York
EAA tournament
Feb 26, 1980*		UMass Quarterfinals	W 85–62	19–7	Villanova Field House  Villanova, Pennsylvania
Feb 27, 1980*		at Pittsburgh Semifinals	W 72–59	21–7	Civic Arena  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mar 1, 1980*		vs. West Virginia Championship game	W 74–62	22–7	Civic Arena  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NCAA tournament
Mar 7, 1980*	(8 E)	vs. (9 E) Marquette First round	W 77–59	23–7	Providence Civic Center  Providence, Rhode Island
Mar 9, 1980*	(8 E)	vs. (1 E) No. 6 Syracuse Second round	L 83–97	23–8	Providence Civic Center  Providence, Rhode Island
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East.

^[1][2]

Rankings

Main article: 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

^[3]

References

1. "1979-80 Villanova Wildcats Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
2. "2019–20 Villanova Men's Basketball Media Guide". Villanova University Athletics. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
3. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 866–867. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.