1980 LSU Basketball: An Elite Eight Run

In 1973, Dale Brown inherited an LSU program that had not reached a Final Four in 19 years, and not even been a serious contender a few years earlier when “Pistol Pete” Maravich was starring in Baton Rouge. Brown gradually built a winner. By 1979, he made a Sweet 16, only losing to eventual national champion Michigan State and Magic Johnson. The 1980 LSU basketball edition kept the progress going with an Elite Eight trip.

LSU was a well-balanced team and that started at the forward position. Rudy Macklin averaged 18 points/10 rebounds per game, while DeWayne Scales added a 16/8 line. Ethan Martin was a skilled floor leader, averaging 12 points/5 assists. Howard Martin, a freshman on the wings, was a double-digit scorer. Brown got additional contributions from Willie Sims in the backcourt and Greg Cook up front.

The Tigers were ranked #7 in the preseason polls and came firing out of the gate. They played a conference game against Florida to open the year and rattled off a 112-81 rout. At 4-0, they took a road trip to Arkansas (who did not play SEC basketball until 1993). The Hogs had gone to the Final Four in 1978 and came within a basket of doing it again in ’79. They would make the NCAA field this season. LSU got out of Fayetteville with a 56-55 win. It was the high point of an 8-0 run through December that got them to #4 in the national rankings.

A 77-66 loss at Vanderbilt cooled the Tigers’ jets on January 2. After bouncing back with a rout of Mississippi State, LSU lost a pair of one-point heartbreakers—57-56 to Alabama and 72-71 to Georgia.

The Tigers were staring at a 1-3 record in conference play. They hadn’t yet played Kentucky or Tennessee, the two other contenders in the SEC. Moreover, this was an era when only 48 teams made the NCAA Tournament field. LSU was still in good position, but an NCAA bid couldn’t be taken for granted as easily as it might be today.

A 93-82 win over Auburn steadied the ship, and that set the stage for a big weekend on January 19-20. It started with a trip to Knoxville, and the one-point games finally tipped LSU’s way. They beat Tennessee 75-74. Even though that was followed by a 78-73 loss at DePaul on Super Bowl Sunday, the Blue Demons were ranked #1 in the country, and the Tigers had played good basketball over an intense 48-hour period.

LSU took that momentum and rolled through Ole Miss and Florida. On January 28, they made a big Monday night visit to Kentucky and came home with a 65-60 win. Two nights later, they nipped Vanderbilt 83-81. LSU was playing a lot of heart-stopping games. But they were up to 8-3 in conference play and tied for first with Kentucky. At 15-4 overall, they were ranked #10 in the polls.

February saw the Tigers continue to click and they won six straight league games. LSU edged out Alabama 68-66, and then completed a sweep of Tennessee, 73-66. The Tigers were 14-3 in the SEC and the stage was set for the regular season finale on February 24. Kentucky was also 14-3, and the battle in Baton Rouge would settle the conference championship.

LSU lost a 76-74 overtime heartbreaker. But a measure of redemption awaited the next week in Birmingham at the conference tournament. After beating Florida and Alabama, the Tigers won Round 3 with the Wildcats in an 80-78 thriller.

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee was impressed enough to give both LSU and Kentucky #1 seeds in the bracket. The Tigers were on the top line in the Midwest Regional and would go to Denton, TX for the opening weekend.

With a 48-team field, the top four seeds in each regional got byes into the Round of 32. LSU ended up playing Alcorn State. After fast-paced first half, the Tigers held a narrow 51-49 lead. But they would outshoot Alcorn State 55 percent to 47 percent and win the rebounding battle 43-31. Macklin went off for a monster game, 31 points/19 rebounds. Sims came off the bench and poured in 30. LSU won 98-88.

The regionals were in Houston and 5-seed Missouri was up next. This was a good Mizzou team, with Larry Drew—soon to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft was leading the way as a senior. These Tigers also had Steve Stipanovich, a freshman center, who eventually grew into the #2 overall choice in the pros.

Missouri had beaten Notre Dame in the Round of 32 and were playing well. They outshot LSU 55 percent to 43 percent and outrebounded them 32-23. But LSU would make up for the gap with opportunistic defense and depth. Their bench outscored the Mizzou bench 12-3. LSU got a combined 33 points from Macklin and Scales, while Cook hauled down ten rebounds. It was enough to survive, 68-63.

There was one more obstacle to the Final Four and it was 2-seed Louisville. The Cardinals had the National Player of the Year in Darrell Griffith. The first half was close, and the Tigers only trailed 31-29 at intermission. But they were again outshot, this time 58 percent to 43 percent. They were again outrebounded, this time 40-33. And this time, they couldn’t make it up for it elsewhere. Macklin was held to nine points, Martin shot 1-for-11, and the game got away in the second half. It ended as an 86-66 loss.

Louisville went on to win the national title, marking the second of three straight years LSU lost to the eventual champs. But they had made progress. That progress continued in 1981, when they went one step further and reached the Final Four