# 1981 NCAA Division III basketball tournament

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.
SUNY Potsdam defeated hosts Augustana (IL), 67–65 (in overtime), in the championship game to claim their first national title.

## Bracket
### Regionals

| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Clark (MA) | Clark (MA) | 109 | | | |
| UMass Boston | UMass Boston | 69 | | | |
| UMass Boston | UMass Boston | 69 | Clark (MA) | Clark (MA) | 78 |
| | | | Rochester (NY) | Rochester (NY) | 74 |
| Rochester (NY) | Rochester (NY) | 75 | Rochester (NY) | Rochester (NY) | 74 |
| Salem State | Salem State | 62 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | UMass Boston | UMass Boston | 90 |
| | | | Salem State | Salem State | 91 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Potsdam State | Potsdam State | 80 | | | |
| Staten Island | Staten Island | 57 | | | |
| Staten Island | Staten Island | 57 | Potsdam State | Potsdam State | 68* |
| | | | Albany (NY) | Albany (NY) | 63 |
| Albany (NY) | Albany (NY) | 45 | Albany (NY) | Albany (NY) | 63 |
| St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | 44 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Staten Island | Staten Island | 60 |
| | | | St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | 62 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 69 | | | |
| Franklin & Marshall | Franklin & Marshall | 58 | | | |
| Franklin & Marshall | Franklin & Marshall | 58 | Ursinus | Ursinus | 66 |
| | | | William Paterson | William Paterson | 64 |
| William Paterson | William Paterson | 87 | William Paterson | William Paterson | 64 |
| Scranton | Scranton | 70 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Franklin & Marshall | Franklin & Marshall | 73 |
| | | | Scranton | Scranton | 68 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Upsala | Upsala | 73 | | | |
| Allegheny | Allegheny | 66 | | | |
| Allegheny | Allegheny | 66 | Upsala | Upsala | 86 |
| | | | Montclair State | Montclair State | 64 |
| Montclair State | Montclair State | 57 | Montclair State | Montclair State | 64 |
| Roanoke | Roanoke | 55 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Allegheny | Allegheny | 75 |
| | | | Roanoke | Roanoke | 84 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Beloit | Beloit | 68 | | | |
| William Penn | William Penn | 58 | | | |
| William Penn | William Penn | 58 | Beloit | Beloit | 53 |
| | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 56 |
| Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 81 | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 56 |
| North Park | North Park | 68 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | William Penn | William Penn | 85 |
| | | | North Park | North Park | 81 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Whittier | Whittier | 103 | | | |
| Stanislaus State | Stanislaus State | 95 | | | |
| Stanislaus State | Stanislaus State | 95 | Whittier | Whittier | 66* |
| | | | Muskingum | Muskingum | 61 |
| Muskingum | Muskingum | 75 | Muskingum | Muskingum | 61 |
| Dubuque | Dubuque | 61 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Stanislaus State | Stanislaus State | 73 |
| | | | Dubuque | Dubuque | 86 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 72 | | | |
| Calvin | Calvin | 50 | | | |
| Calvin | Calvin | 50 | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 68 |
| | | | Otterbein | Otterbein | 72 |
| Otterbein | Otterbein | 81 | Otterbein | Otterbein | 72 |
| Wabash | Wabash | 69 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Calvin | Calvin | 71 |
| | | | Wabash | Wabash | 93 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Savannah State | Savannah State | 76 | | | |
| Rose–Hulman | Rose–Hulman | 62 | | | |
| Rose–Hulman | Rose–Hulman | 62 | Savannah State | Savannah State | 76 |
| | | | Southwestern (TN) | Southwestern (TN) | 75 |
| Southwestern (TN) | Southwestern (TN) | 72 | Southwestern (TN) | Southwestern (TN) | 75 |
| St. Andrews | St. Andrews | 70 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Rhodes–Hulman | Rhodes–Hulman | 80 |
| | | | St. Andrews | St. Andrews | 84 |

### National finals

| National quarterfinals | National quarterfinals | National quarterfinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National championship | National championship | National championship |
| Clark (MA) | Clark (MA) | 81 | | | | | | |
| Potsdam State | Potsdam State | 87 | | | | | | |
| Potsdam State | Potsdam State | 87 | Potsdam State | Potsdam State | 63 | | | |
| | | | Ursinus | Ursinus | 61 | | | |
| Ursinus | Ursinus | 71 | Ursinus | Ursinus | 61 | | | |
| Upsala | Upsala | 69 | | | | | | |
| Upsala | Upsala | 69 | | | | Potsdam State | Potsdam State | 67* |
| | | | | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 65 |
| Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 69 | | | | | | | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 65 |
| Whittier | Whittier | 67 | | | |
| Whittier | Whittier | 67 | Augustana (IL) | Augustana (IL) | 93 | National third-place game | National third-place game | National third-place game |
| | | | Otterbein | Otterbein | 81 |
| Otterbein | Otterbein | 67* | Otterbein | Otterbein | 81 | Ursinus | Ursinus | 82 |
| Savannah State | Savannah State | 64 | | | | Otterbein | Otterbein | 79 |