Second year head coach Lee Rose had taken a great player, Cornbread Maxwell, and rode him to the Final Four in 1977 when he coached UNC-Charlotte.  Rose looked to do the same in 1980 with Purdue and superstar center Joe Barry Carroll.  The 7'1 center averaged 22 points and 9 rebounds controlling the interior for the Boilermakers.

Purdue finished the regular season 17-9, 3rd in the Big Ten, and was awarded the #6 seed in the Mideast Region of the NCAA Tournament.  After beating LaSalle in round 1, the Boilers beat 3 ranked opponents in a row including in state rival Indiana, to get to the Final Four in Indianapolis.