The 1981 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament was the sixth edition of the tournament,[1] and was held March 6–7 at the Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.
[2][3] Top-seeded Idaho defeated Montana in the championship game, 70–64, to clinch their first Big Sky tournament title.
This was the first year in which three-time defending champion Weber State was not in the title game; the Wildcats tied for fifth and failed to make the field.
Source:[4][5] The Vandals (25–3) received an automatic bid to the 48-team NCAA tournament, their first appearance, and were seeded seventh in the West region.
[6] They lost to Pittsburgh by a point in overtime at El Paso, Texas.