1981 NCAA Division III basketball tournament
{{Short description|American collegiate men's basketball tournament (1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA basketball tournament
| Year = 1981
| Division = III
| Image = NCAA logo.svg
| ImageSize = 125px
| Caption =
| Teams = 32
| FinalFourCity = Rock Island, Illinois
| Champions = Potsdam State Bears
| TitleCount = 1st
| RunnerUp = Augustana Vikings
| GameCount = 1st
| Semifinal1 = Ursinus Bears
| FinalFourCount = 1st
| Semifinal2 =Otterbein Cardinals
| FinalFourCount2 = 1st
| Coach = Jerry Welsh (Potsdam State)
}}
The 1981 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was the seventh annual single-elimination tournament, held during March 1981, to determine the national champions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division III collegiate basketball in the United States.
The tournament field included 32 teams with the national championship rounds contested at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.{{cite web|title=Division III Men's Basketball Championship |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_champs_records/2013/d3/champs.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|accessdate=March 20, 2017|pages=17}}
SUNY Potsdam defeated hosts Augustana (IL), 67–65 (in overtime), in the championship game to claim their first national title.
Bracket
=Regionals=
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Clark (MA)
| RD1-score1 = 109
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = UMass Boston
| RD1-score2 = 69
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Rochester (NY)
| RD1-score3 = 75
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = Salem State
| RD1-score4 = 62
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Clark (MA)
| RD2-score1 = 78
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Rochester (NY)
| RD2-score2 = 74
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = UMass Boston
| RD2b-score1 = 90
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = Salem State
| RD2b-score2 = 91
}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Potsdam State
| RD1-score1 = 80
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = Staten Island
| RD1-score2 = 57
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Albany (NY)
| RD1-score3 = 45
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = St. Lawrence
| RD1-score4 = 44
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Potsdam State
| RD2-score1 = 68*
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Albany (NY)
| RD2-score2 = 63
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = Staten Island
| RD2b-score1 = 60
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = St. Lawrence
| RD2b-score2 = 62
}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Ursinus
| RD1-score1 = 69
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = Franklin & Marshall
| RD1-score2 = 58
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = William Paterson
| RD1-score3 = 87
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = Scranton
| RD1-score4 = 70
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Ursinus
| RD2-score1 = 66
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = William Paterson
| RD2-score2 = 64
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = Franklin & Marshall
| RD2b-score1 = 73
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = Scranton
| RD2b-score2 = 68
}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Upsala
| RD1-score1 = 73
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = Allegheny
| RD1-score2 = 66
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Montclair State
| RD1-score3 = 57
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = Roanoke
| RD1-score4 = 55
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Upsala
| RD2-score1 = 86
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Montclair State
| RD2-score2 = 64
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = Allegheny
| RD2b-score1 = 75
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = Roanoke
| RD2b-score2 = 84
}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Beloit
| RD1-score1 = 68
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = William Penn
| RD1-score2 = 58
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Augustana (IL)
| RD1-score3 = 81
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = North Park
| RD1-score4 = 68
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Beloit
| RD2-score1 = 53
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Augustana (IL)
| RD2-score2 = 56
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = William Penn
| RD2b-score1 = 85
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = North Park
| RD2b-score2 = 81
}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Whittier
| RD1-score1 = 103
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = Stanislaus State
| RD1-score2 = 95
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Muskingum
| RD1-score3 = 75
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = Dubuque
| RD1-score4 = 61
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Whittier
| RD2-score1 = 66*
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Muskingum
| RD2-score2 = 61
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = Stanislaus State
| RD2b-score1 = 73
| RD2b-3seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = Dubuque
| RD2b-score2 = 86
}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Wittenberg
| RD1-score1 = 72
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = Calvin
| RD1-score2 = 50
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Otterbein
| RD1-score3 = 81
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = Wabash
| RD1-score4 = 69
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Wittenberg
| RD2-score1 = 68
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Otterbein
| RD2-score2 = 72
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = Calvin
| RD2b-score1 = 71
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = Wabash
| RD2b-score2 = 93
}}
{{col-2}}
{{4TeamBracket-with 3rd
| Team-Width = 145
| RD1 = First round
| RD2 = Regional Championship
| RD2b = Regional Third-place
| RD1-seed1 =
| RD1-team1 = Savannah State
| RD1-score1 = 76
| RD1-seed2 =
| RD1-team2 = Rose–Hulman
| RD1-score2 = 62
| RD1-seed3 =
| RD1-team3 = Southwestern (TN)
| RD1-score3 = 72
| RD1-seed4 =
| RD1-team4 = St. Andrews
| RD1-score4 = 70
| RD2-seed1 =
| RD2-team1 = Savannah State
| RD2-score1 = 76
| RD2-seed2 =
| RD2-team2 = Southwestern (TN)
| RD2-score2 = 75
| RD2b-seed1 =
| RD2b-team1 = Rhodes–Hulman
| RD2b-score1 = 80
| RD2b-seed2 =
| RD2b-team2 = St. Andrews
| RD2b-score2 = 84
}}
{{col-end}}
=National finals=
{{8TeamBracket
| RD1=National quarterfinals
| RD2=National semifinals
| RD3=National championship
| RD3b=National third-place game
| Team-Width = 145
| score-width=30
| boldwinner=high
| seed = no
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Clark (MA)
| RD1-score1=81
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Potsdam State
| RD1-score2=87
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Ursinus
| RD1-score3=71
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Upsala
| RD1-score4=69
| RD1-seed5=
| RD1-team5=Augustana (IL)
| RD1-score5=69
| RD1-seed6=
| RD1-team6=Whittier
| RD1-score6=67
| RD1-seed7=
| RD1-team7=Otterbein
| RD1-score7=67*
| RD1-seed8=
| RD1-team8=Savannah State
| RD1-score8=64
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Potsdam State
| RD2-score1=63
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Ursinus
| RD2-score2=61
| RD2-seed3=
| RD2-team3=Augustana (IL)
| RD2-score3=93
| RD2-seed4=
| RD2-team4=Otterbein
| RD2-score4=81
| RD3-seed1=
| RD3-team1=Potsdam State
| RD3-score1=67*
| RD3-seed2=
| RD3-team2=Augustana (IL)
| RD3-score2=65
| RD3-seed3=
| RD3-team3=Ursinus
| RD3-score3=82
| RD3-seed4=
| RD3-team4=Otterbein
| RD3-score4=79
}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament navbox}}
Category:NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament