The Seasonal Narrative of 1980 Notre Dame Basketball

The Digger Phelps era in South Bend was rolling. Phelps took Notre Dame to a Final Four in 1978. The Irish were a #1 seed in 1979 and their regional final loss was to Magic Johnson and eventual national champion Michigan State. The 1980 Notre Dame basketball team continued to have success and made Digger’s seventh straight NCAA Tournament. But they weren’t the powerhouse of the last two years and made an early exit in March.

A trio of forwards led the way for the Irish. Tracy Jackson, Kelly Tripucka and Orlando Woolridge were all juniors and all productive. They combined to average 45 points/21 rebounds per game. Rich Branning, the senior guard, provided some support in the backcourt, as an 11ppg scorer. Expectations were high and the Irish were ranked #5 in the country to start the season.

Notre Dame went to work on validating that ranking when they hosted seventh-ranked UCLA, a team that would eventually make the Final Four and was coached by a young Larry Brown. The Irish won 77-74 and started 6-0. While an 86-80 loss to second-ranked Kentucky on a neutral site in Louisville was disappointing, it was no reason for alarm.

But with ten days to recover after the Kentucky game, Notre Dame still showed up flat at San Francisco. The Dons, on their way to a 22-win season, handed the Irish a 67-59 loss.

After expected wins over Tulane and TCU, Notre Dame went to Philadelphia to meet NCAA-bound Villanova. The Irish got out of The Palestra with a 70-69 win. On January 19, Notre Dame paid a return visit to UCLA.

Per the sports calendar of this era, the ND-UCLA game was the college basketball showcase on the Saturday prior to the Super Bowl. Notre Dame won 80-73. A week later, they hosted Maryland, the eventual ACC champ and nipped the Terps 64-63. The Irish were riding high. But when they went back to Philadelphia and The Palestra to face another NCAA-bound team in LaSalle, they were a little flat. Led by the explosive Michael Brooks, the Explorers upset Notre Dame 62-60.

Even so, the Irish were still 12-3 and ranked #8. They went on to win a home rematch with San Francisco and generally rolled through a mostly soft schedule in February. But N.C. State, headed for the NCAA field themselves, came into South Bend and knocked off Notre Dame 63-55.

Still ranked 10^th in the country going into their final two games, the Irish were comfortably in the NCAAs. But the format of the time had only 48 teams qualifying. That meant it was important to get one of the top four seeds in each regional, and a bye into the Round of 32. That’s what was still on the line as Notre Dame prepared to play its Catholic rivals, Marquette, DePaul, and Dayton, to close the regular season.

Marquette was fighting for their NCAA life, and they played like it when they came to South Bend on a Sunday afternoon. Notre Dame took a 77-74 loss that put their bid for a bye at risk. It heightened the stakes for an anticipated showdown with DePaul.

The Blue Demons were ranked #1 in the country. They were also undefeated. Phelps had developed a reputation as a giant-killer, going back to his ending of UCLA’s 88-game winning streak in 1974. On this Wednesday night on his home floor, Digger did it again. Notre Dame won a 76-74 overtime thriller.

A 62-54 win over Dayton put the finishing touches on the 21-5 campaign. The Selection Committee rewarded the Irish with a bye—they were the 4-seed in the Midwest Regional and bound for Lincoln.

Missouri was the 5-seed, and the Tigers took care of business in the first round. This was a talented Mizzou squad. Larry Drew was headed for the pros and sophomore center Steve Stipanovich would eventually become the #2 overall pick in the NBA draft.

Notre Dame did not play well defensively and allowed Missouri to shoot 61 percent from the floor. The Irish countered with a spectacular performance from Jackson, who lit it up with 27 points/19 rebounds. Woolridge added 16/7. Tripucka knocked down 22, although he only shot 9-for-2 0 from the floor. The work of the forwards was enough to get Notre Dame to overtime, but not enough to win. An 87-84 loss ended the season.

Digger’s core group of forwards came back in 1981 and were augmented by a developing John Paxson in the backcourt. Notre Dame had another big year and made the Sweet 16. But that was followed by three straight losing seasons. There was some success in the latter part of the 1980s, but nothing like what was produced from 1974-81. The 1980 Notre Dame basketball season was a good one, but it was also a modest red flag.