The 1980 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament was held February 28 â March 1, 1980 at HemisFair Arena in San Antonio, Texas. The first round took place February 25 at the higher seeded campus sites.
Number 1 seed Texas A&M defeated 2 seed Arkansas 52-50 to win their 1st championship and receive the conference's automatic bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament.
The tournament consisted of 9 teams in a single-elimination tournament. The 3 seed received a bye to the Quarterfinals and the 1 and 2 seed received a bye to the Semifinals.