The 1981 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament was held March 3–5 at a combination of on-campus gymnasiums and Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Jayhawks, in turn, received an automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA tournament.
They were joined in the tournament by fellow Big Eight members Missouri and Kansas State, who earned at-large bids.
They were seeded based on regular season conference records, with all teams placed and paired in the initial quarterfinal round.
The semifinals and championship game, in turn, were played at a neutral site at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.