The 1980 Final 4 Team was 10-8 in Conf play (T-4th). #19 Northwestern at #10 Iowa (1st time mtg when BOTH ranked)

[Franisdaman]

That damn Lute Olson should have had better depth for when a player goes down to injury!!! 4th place? Unacceptable!!!

Imagine what the message boards would have been like in 1979-1980.

 

[AMAYS]

Imagine what the message boards would have been like in 1979-1980.

IMO, your suggestion is way off. 79-80 was still the honeymoon phase for Lute. Iowa was unranked pre-season(AP), so no false expectations were created (unlike this year). When I traveled to Champaign to watch the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten opener, everyone understood it would be a challenging conference season, but no one was down on Lute or the Hawks. When, if memory serves, Gannon played all or nearly 40 minutes in his 1st Big Ten game against a ranked Illinois team, securing the W was a huge achievement. But no one was surprised by a loss a few days later at Michigan, or by a hard fought loss the next game at home against highly-ranked OSU, which I saw and heard from right behind the OSU bench (I was somewhat amused/angry at hearing OSU assistant coach Maychuck (sp?) carp and poke fun at Lute).

All season long, the fan base was behind the Hawks, despite the losses. By ‘83, following the chokes of ‘81 and ‘82, and the tourney losses to Wichita State and Idaho, a message board might have resembled this year’s Hawkeye Lounge. But not in 1980. Camelot reigned all season long, and the faithful would be rewarded in the post-season.

 

[anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba]

And when you have an All-American point guard go down for much of the conference season, going 10-8 and finishing fourth is a highly appreciated achievement. Had Ronnie Lester been healthy all season, and had he not been reinjured in the national semifinal, 1980 could have resulted in Big Ten and national titles for the Hawkeyes.

But that season is just one more in the long history of Hawkeye misfortune, on the court and on the field.

And yes, the world was a far, far different place in 1980 for college athletes, coaches, fans, and most everyone else. That's what 40 years or so will do.

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[13thman]

And when you have an All-American point guard go down for much of the conference season, going 10-8 and finishing fourth is a highly appreciated achievement. Had Ronnie Lester been healthy all season, and had he not been reinjured in the national semifinal, 1980 could have resulted in Big Ten and national titles for the Hawkeyes.

But that season is just one more in the long history of Hawkeye misfortune, on the court and on the field.

And yes, the world was a far, far different place in 1980 for college athletes, coaches, fans, and most everyone else. That's what 40 years or so will do.

The two best players in the BIG missed the majority of the conference schedule that year.

 

[HawkRugged17]

The two best players in the BIG missed the majority of the conference schedule that year.

All Big 10 that season. Some fun players here. JBC - Joe Barely Cares!

Joe Barry Carroll	Purdue	C	SR		33	33	736	302	33	25	92			.539			.660		22.3	9.2	1.0	0.8	2.8
Herb Williams	Ohio State	C	JR		29	27	509	263	21	22	90			.496			.660		17.6	9.1	0.7	0.8	3.1
Kelvin Ransey	Ohio State	G	SR		29	27	469	121	171	41	6			.488			.835		16.2	4.2	5.9	1.4	0.2
Kevin McHale	Minnesota	F	SR		32		557	281	59	14				.567			.794		17.4	8.8	1.8	0.4
Jay Vincent	Michigan State	F	JR		27	27	582	209	61	27	7			.517			.720		21.6	7.7	2.3	1.0	0.3
Mike McGee	Michigan	G	JR		30	30	665	130	37	34	4			.474			.698		22.2	4.3	1.2	1.1	0.1
Isiah Thomas	Indiana	G	FR		29	29	423	116	159	62	7			.510			.772		14.6	4.0	5.5	2.1	0.2

 

[wneff]

Mike Woodson of IU presumably is the other best player who missed most of the season.

 

[13thman]

Mike Woodson of IU presumably is the other best player who missed most of the season.

League MVP