The 1981 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.
The 44th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
[1] The championship game featured Bethany Nazarene College and the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
1981 was also the first year the NAIA held a women's national basketball championship tournament.
The third-place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament.