The 1981–82 James Madison Dukes men's basketball team represented James Madison University during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

The Dukes, led by tenth year head coach Lou Campanelli, played their home games at the newly opened on-campus Convocation Center and were members of the southern division of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC).

The Dukes finished the season with a 24–6 (10–1 ECAC South) record, but were upset by Old Dominion in the ECAC South tournament.

However, the Dukes received an at-large bid to the 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament for their second-ever and second-consecutive appearance in the tournament.

In the NCAA Tournament, the ninth-seeded Dukes beat Ohio State in the first round[1] before falling to eventual national champions North Carolina in the second round.