1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team

1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball
Sun Belt Regular season champions
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record23–6 (12–2 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Home arenaJaguar Gym
Mobile Municipal Auditorium
1979–80 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
South Alabama122 .857236  .793
UAB104 .7141812  .600
Jacksonville104 .714209  .690
UNC Charlotte95 .6431512  .556
VCU86 .5711812  .600
Georgia State410 .286621  .222
New Orleans212 .143521  .192
South Florida113 .071621  .222
1980 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979–80 South Alabama Jaguars basketball team represented the University of South Alabama during the 1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Jaguars were led by head coach Cliff Ellis, in his fifth year as head coach. They played their home games at the Mobile Civic Center, and were members of the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama finished the season 23–6, 12–2 in Sun Belt play to finish in first place. They were upset by Jacksonville in the Sun Belt tournament, but did receive an at-large bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest region. In the opening round, the Jaguars lost to Alcorn State, 70–62.