The 1980–81 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

during the

1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 28, 1980, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on Marc ...

. The Hilltoppers were members of the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

and led by OVC Coach of the Year

Clem Haskins Clem Smith Haskins (born July 11, 1943) is an American former college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach. In the fall of 1963, he and fellow star player Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the ...

, in his first season as head coach. WKU won the OVC regular season and tournament championships and received the conference's automatic bid to the

1981 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship ...

. Craig McCormick and Tony Wilson made the All-OVC Team, and Wilson and Percy White were selected to the OVC Tournament Team.

Cultural relevance

Haskins broke the color barrier this season at Western Kentucky, becoming the first African American head coach in school history. This came 16 years after he, and Dwight Smith, became the first African Americans to play Hilltopper basketball.

Schedule

1980-81 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 4 May 2020
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References

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball seasons

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's Long stubs with short prose {{Kentucky-sport-team-stub