The 1980-81 North Carolina Tar Heels went 29-8 (10-4 in the ACC) under head coach Dean Smith. The team peaked at #6 in the AP poll. Simple Rating System: 18.3.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-11-28 | at Alaska Anchorage | W 69–50 | Buckner Fieldhouse |
| 1980-11-29 | neutral Georgetown Hoyas | W 83–71 | Buckner Fieldhouse |
| 1980-11-30 | neutral Arkansas Razorbacks | W 64–58 | Buckner Fieldhouse |
| 1980-12-02 | vs Mercer Bears | W 89–74 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1980-12-05 | neutral Duke Blue Devils | W 78–76 | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 1980-12-06 | neutral Wake Forest Demon Deacons | L 71–82 | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 1980-12-13 | vs South Florida Bulls | W 73–64 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1980-12-20 | vs Indiana Hoosiers | W 65–56 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1980-12-22 | vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights | W 71–64 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1980-12-29 | neutral Louisville Cardinals | W 86–64 | L.A. Sports Arena |
| 1980-12-30 | neutral Minnesota Golden Gophers | L 60–76 | L.A. Sports Arena |
| 1981-01-03 | at Kansas Jayhawks | L 55–56 | Kemper Arena |
| 1981-01-07 | vs Maryland Terrapins | W 75–66 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-01-10 | at Virginia Cavaliers | L 57–63 | University Hall |
| 1981-01-14 | vs NC State Wolfpack | W 73–70 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-01-17 | vs Duke Blue Devils | W 80–65 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-01-22 | at Wake Forest Demon Deacons | W 74–60 | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum |
| 1981-01-24 | vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | W 100–60 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-01-28 | at Clemson Tigers | W 61–47 | Littlejohn Coliseum |
| 1981-01-31 | at NC State Wolfpack | W 57–54 | Reynolds Coliseum |
| 1981-02-03 | vs Virginia Cavaliers | L 79–80 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-02-06 | vs Saint Joseph's Hawks | W 87–64 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-02-07 | vs Furman Paladins | W 79–64 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-02-11 | vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons | L 68–84 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-02-15 | at Maryland Terrapins | W 76–63 | Cole Fieldhouse |
| 1981-02-18 | at William & Mary Tribe | W 81–55 | William & Mary Hall |
| 1981-02-21 | vs Clemson Tigers | W 75–61 | Carmichael Auditorium |
| 1981-02-25 | at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | W 76–51 | Alexander Memorial Coliseum |
| 1981-02-28 | at Duke Blue Devils | L 65–66 (OTOT) | Cameron Indoor Stadium |
| 1981-03-05 | neutral NC State Wolfpack | W 69–54 | Capital Centre |
| 1981-03-06 | neutral Wake Forest Demon Deacons | W 58–57 | Capital Centre |
| 1981-03-07 | neutral Maryland Terrapins | W 61–60 | Capital Centre |
| 1981-03-15 | neutral Pittsburgh Panthers | W 74–57 | Special Events Center |
| 1981-03-19 | neutral Utah Utes | W 61–56 | Special Events Center |
| 1981-03-21 | neutral Kansas State Wildcats | W 82–68 | Special Events Center |
| 1981-03-28 | neutral Virginia Cavaliers | W 78–65 | The Spectrum |
| 1981-03-30 | neutral Indiana Hoosiers | L 50–63 | The Spectrum |
North Carolina Tar Heels program history · All Division I programs · Hoopsipedia home
| Rank | Team | Conference | All-Time Wins |
|---|
Top 100 by all-time D1 wins. Verified against the NCAA record book — and tiered so you can argue properly.
| # | COACH | RECORD | WIN % | SCHOOL(S) | YEARS | BEST SEASON / LEGACY |
|---|