The 2020–21 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

The Gauchos, led by fourth-year head coach Joe Pasternack, play their home games at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California as members of the Big West Conference.

They defeated Long Beach State, UC Davis, and UC Irvine to be champions of the Big West tournament.

They received the Big West’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Creighton.

They were scheduled to play UC Riverside in the quarterfinals of the Big West tournament, however, the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.