The 1980–81 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a member of the Sun Belt Conference during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.
This was head coach Gene Bartow's third season at UAB, and the Blazers played their home games at BJCC Coliseum.
10 seed Western Kentucky in the opening round, UAB upset No.
3 seed and eventual National champion Indiana in the Mideast regional semifinal, 87–72.
[1] This season marked Coach Bartow's first trip (of nine total) to the NCAA tournament as coach of the Blazers, and started a string of seven consecutive bids to the "Big Dance."