1979–80 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 1979–80 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1979–80 college basketball season. Led by second-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 18–11 (12–6 SEC, T-3rd) and received an at-large bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament as the 7 seed in the East region. After an opening round win over No. 10 seed Furman, Tennessee was defeated by No. 2 seed Maryland, 86–75.

1979–80 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
NCAA tournament, Second round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	18–11 (12–6 SEC)
Head coach	Don DeVoe (2nd season)
Home arena	Stokely Athletic Center
Seasons ← 1978–79 1980–81 →

1979–80 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 Kentucky	15	–	3		.833			29	–	6		.829
No. 3 LSU †	14	–	4		.778			26	–	6		.813
Alabama	12	–	6		.667			18	–	12		.600
Tennessee	12	–	6		.667			18	–	11		.621
Ole Miss	9	–	9		.500			17	–	13		.567
Mississippi State	7	–	11		.389			13	–	14		.481
Vanderbilt	7	–	11		.389			13	–	13		.500
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			14	–	13		.519
Auburn	5	–	13		.278			10	–	18		.357
Florida	2	–	16		.111			7	–	21		.250
† 1980 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[1]

This was the second of five straight seasons of NCAA Tournament basketball for the Tennessee men's program.

Roster

1979–80 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown F 14 Dale Ellis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Marietta, Georgia F 32 Reggie Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Atlanta, Georgia F 44 Howard Wood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Southampton, New York	Head coach Don DeVoe (Ohio State) Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

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Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
SEC tournament
Feb 28, 1980*  Chesley-TPC		vs. Ole Miss Quarterfinals	L 74–76	17–10	BJCC Coliseum  Birmingham, Alabama
NCAA tournament
Mar 6, 1980*	(7 E)	vs. (10 E) Furman First round	W 80–69	18–10	Greensboro Coliseum  Greensboro, North Carolina
Mar 8, 1980*	(7 E)	vs. (2 E) No. 8 Maryland Second round	L 75–86	18–11	Greensboro Coliseum  Greensboro, North Carolina
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time.

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Rankings

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

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NBA draft

Main article: 1980 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
1	15	Reggie Johnson	San Antonio Spurs

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References

1. sports-reference.com 1979-80 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
2. "1979-80 Men's Basketball Roster". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
3. "1979-80 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
4. "2019-20 Tennessee Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
5. • ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 867–868. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
6. "1980 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2023.