1980-81 Virginia Cavaliers — schedule and results

The 1980-81 Virginia Cavaliers went 29-4 (13-1 in the ACC) under head coach Terry Holland. The team peaked at #1 in the AP poll. Simple Rating System: 18.59.

Game-by-game results (32 games)

DateOpponentResultArena
1980-11-28vs Bucknell BisonW 64–45University Hall
1980-11-29vs VCU RamsW 77–62University Hall
1980-12-06at William & Mary TribeW 88–68William & Mary Hall
1980-12-12at Duke Blue DevilsW 91–79Cameron Indoor Stadium
1980-12-22vs baltimoreW 103–62University Hall
1980-12-30at James Madison DukesW 53–52Godwin Hall
1981-01-03neutral Virginia Tech HokiesW 64–51Roanoke Civic Center
1981-01-05at Delaware Blue HensW 88–69Delaware Field House
1981-01-07vs NC State WolfpackW 63–55University Hall
1981-01-10vs North Carolina Tar HeelsW 63–57University Hall
1981-01-14at Maryland TerrapinsW 66–64Cole Fieldhouse
1981-01-17at Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsW 85–48Alexander Memorial Coliseum
1981-01-19at Clemson TigersW 74–59Littlejohn Coliseum
1981-01-21vs George Washington RevolutionariesW 86–56University Hall
1981-01-25vs Ohio State BuckeyesW 89–73University Hall
1981-01-28vs Wake Forest Demon DeaconsW 83–73University Hall
1981-01-31vs Duke Blue DevilsW 68–47University Hall
1981-02-03at North Carolina Tar HeelsW 80–79Carmichael Auditorium
1981-02-05at Wagner SeahawksW 76–69Sutter Gymnasium
1981-02-11at NC State WolfpackW 51–46Reynolds Coliseum
1981-02-14vs Clemson TigersW 73–58University Hall
1981-02-16vs Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsW 83–42University Hall
1981-02-22at Notre Dame Fighting IrishL 56–57Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
1981-02-25at Wake Forest Demon DeaconsL 66–73Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum
1981-02-28vs Maryland TerrapinsW 74–63University Hall
1981-03-05neutral Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsW 76–47Capital Centre
1981-03-06neutral Maryland TerrapinsL 62–85Capital Centre
1981-03-15neutral Villanova WildcatsW 54–50Charlotte Coliseum (I)
1981-03-19neutral Tennessee VolunteersW 62–48The Omni
1981-03-21neutral BYU CougarsW 74–60The Omni
1981-03-28neutral North Carolina Tar HeelsL 65–78The Spectrum
1981-03-30neutral LSU TigersW 78–74The Spectrum

Game recaps

1980-11-29: Virginia Cavaliers handled UCLA 77–62. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 24 points. Danny Kottak had 16 for UCLA.

1980-12-06: Virginia Cavaliers blew out William & Mary 88–68 as Jeff Lamp scored a team-high 23. Bill Barnes had 21 for William & Mary.

1980-12-12: Virginia Cavaliers handled Duke Blue Devils 91–79. Ralph Sampson led the winners with 30 points. Gene Banks had 27 for Duke Blue Devils. Ralph Sampson grabbed 17 rebounds.

1980-12-22: Behind Ralph Sampson's 24 points, Virginia Cavaliers rolled past Baltimore 103–62. Kenneth L. Young had 22 for Baltimore. Ralph Sampson grabbed 15 rebounds.

1980-12-30: Behind Jeff Lamp's 17 points, Virginia Cavaliers held off James Madison Dukes 53–52. Linton Townes had 15 for James Madison Dukes.

1981-01-05: Virginia Cavaliers beat Delaware 88–69 as Ralph Sampson scored a team-high 24. Tom Campbell had 17 for Delaware.

1981-01-07: Virginia Cavaliers got past NC State Wolfpack 63–55 as Ralph Sampson scored a team-high 24.

1981-01-10: Virginia Cavaliers beat North Carolina Tar Heels 63–57. Lee Raker led the winners with 18 points. Al Wood had 18 for North Carolina Tar Heels.

1981-01-14: Virginia Cavaliers edged Maryland Terrapins 66–64. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 18 points. Ernest Graham had 18 for Maryland Terrapins.

1981-01-17: Virginia Cavaliers routed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 85–48. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 21 points. Fred Hall had 14 for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

1981-01-19: Behind Jeff Lamp's 25 points, Virginia Cavaliers pulled away from Clemson Tigers 74–59. Clark Bynum had 12 for Clemson Tigers.

1981-01-21: Behind Sampson, Ralph's 16 points, Virginia Cavaliers rolled past George Washington 86–56. Skipper, Wilbert had 23 for George Washington. Sampson, Ralph grabbed 15 rebounds.

1981-01-25: Virginia Cavaliers handled Ohio State Buckeyes 89–73. Ralph Sampson led the winners with 40 points. Carter Scott had 13 for Ohio State Buckeyes. Ralph Sampson grabbed 16 rebounds.

1981-01-28: Virginia Cavaliers beat Wake Forest Demon Deacons 83–73 as Lee Raker scored a team-high 25. Frank Johnson had 28 for Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Ralph Sampson grabbed 16 rebounds.

1981-01-31: Virginia Cavaliers routed Duke Blue Devils 68–47. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 20 points. Gene Banks had 18 for Duke Blue Devils.

1981-02-05: Virginia Cavaliers got past Wagner 76–69 as Jeff Lamp scored a team-high 26. Mike Nelson had 14 for Wagner. Ralph Sampson grabbed 18 rebounds.

1981-02-11: Behind Ralph Sampson's 17 points, Virginia Cavaliers defeated N.C. State Wolfpack 51–46. Dereck Whittenburg had 14 for N.C. State Wolfpack.

1981-02-14: Virginia Cavaliers handled Clemson Tigers 73–58. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 19 points. Larry Nance had 16 for Clemson Tigers.

1981-02-16: Virginia Cavaliers routed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 83–42. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 19 points.

1981-02-22: Notre Dame Fighting Irish edged Virginia Cavaliers 57–56. Tripucka, Kelly led the winners with 15 points. Raker, Lee had 14 for Virginia Cavaliers.

1981-02-25: Wake Forest Demon Deacons beat Virginia Cavaliers 73–66. Frank Johnson led the winners with 22 points. Jeff Lamp had 26 for Virginia Cavaliers.

1981-02-28: Virginia Cavaliers handled Maryland Terrapins 74–63. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 18 points. Ernest Graham had 19 for Maryland Terrapins.

1981-03-05: Virginia Cavaliers routed Georgia Tech 76–47. Ralph Sampson led the winners with 20 points. Fred Hall had 17 for Georgia Tech.

1981-03-06: Maryland routed Virginia Cavaliers 85–62. Albert King led the winners with 24 points. Jeff Lamp had 25 for Virginia Cavaliers.

1981-03-21: Behind Ralph Sampson's 22 points, Virginia Cavaliers pulled away from Brigham Young Cougars 74–60. Danny Ainge had 13 for Brigham Young Cougars.

1981-03-28: North Carolina Tar Heels beat Virginia Cavaliers 78–65 as Al Wood scored a team-high 39. Jeff Lamp had 18 for Virginia Cavaliers.

1981-03-30: Virginia Cavaliers beat Louisiana State Tigers 78–74. Jeff Lamp led the winners with 25 points. Greg Cook had 21 for Louisiana State Tigers.

Virginia Cavaliers program history · All Division I programs · Hoopsipedia home

Hoopsipedia
Hpsipedia
EST. 2025 · VOL. II · NCAA OFFICIAL RECORDS
● 360 PROGRAMS · VERIFIED
★ ★ ★ The complete record of college basketball ★ ★ ★
Hpsipedia
★ Built for banter. Backed by the record book. ★
THE MAIN EVENT
Program 1
?
VS
since 1900
Program 2
?
Try:
✦ Ask Hoopsipedia AI
THE RECORD BOOK

All-time wins

Full leaderboard →
Rank Team All-Time Wins

On this day

SPOTLIGHT

AP Top 25

All rankings →
DISCOVER

More to argue about

Rankings Deep Dive
Who's REALLY a blue blood?
Our composite HTSS ranking of all-time program strength. See how every team stacks up across 100+ years.
EXPLORE →
Time Machine
Travel back to any season
See who was #1, who was rising, and who was falling. Every season from 1949 to today.
EXPLORE →
Coach Trees
The coaching lineages
From Dean Smith to Roy Williams to Hubert Davis — trace the family trees of college basketball's greatest coaches.
EXPLORE →

2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Last updated: --:--:--
For the best bracket experience, view on a desktop or rotate your device to landscape.

Team Rankings

Rank Team Conference All-Time Wins

Teams

★ ★ The architects ★ ★

COACHES

Top 100 by all-time D1 wins. Verified against the NCAA record book — and tiered so you can argue properly.

SETTLE A DEBATE
Compare Coaches
VS
FILTER BY TIER:
# COACH RECORD WIN % SCHOOL(S) YEARS BEST SEASON / LEGACY
Ask Hoopsipedia BETA
Hi! I'm the Hoopsipedia Assistant. I can look up team histories, compare programs, explore rankings, and more. Try asking: