The 1981 NCAA Division II basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1980–81 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by Florida Southern College and Florida Southern's John Ebeling was the Most Outstanding Player.
Regional participants SchoolOutcomeCheyneyThird PlaceElizabeth City StateRunner-upMount St. Mary'sRegional ChampionRandolph–MaconFourth Place SchoolOutcomeIndiana State–EvansvilleFourth PlaceNorthern MichiganRegional ChampionWestern IllinoisRunner-upWright StateThird Place SchoolOutcomeCentral Missouri StateFourth PlaceGreen BayRegional ChampionNorth DakotaRunner-upNorth Dakota StateThird Place SchoolOutcomeJacksonville StateThird PlaceLincoln (MO)Fourth PlaceNorth AlabamaRegional ChampionNE Missouri StateRunner-up SchoolOutcomeChico StateFourth PlaceCal State Dominguez HillsRunner-upEastern MontanaThird PlacePuget SoundRegional Champion SchoolOutcomeFlorida SouthernRegional ChampionMorehouseFourth PlaceUCFRunner-upWest GeorgiaThird Place SchoolOutcomeBloomsburgFourth PlaceCal PolyRegional ChampionClarionRunner-upMonmouthThird Place SchoolOutcomeNew Hampshire CollegeRegional ChampionSacred HeartRunner-upSpringfieldFourth PlaceStonehillThird Place
*denotes tie
Regionals
South Atlantic - Emmitsburg, Maryland Location: Memorial Gym Host: Mount Saint Mary's College and Seminary
Third Place - Cheyney 76, Randolph-Macon 67
Great Lakes - Macomb, Illinois Location: Western Hall Host: Western Illinois University
Third Place - Wright State 96, Indiana State–Evansville 89
North Central - Green Bay, Wisconsin Location: Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena Host: University of Wisconsin at Green Bay
Third Place - North Dakota State 95, Central Missouri State 87
South Central - Florence, Alabama Location: Flowers Hall Host: University of North Alabama
Third Place - Jacksonville State 84, Lincoln 66
West - Billings, Montana Location: Alterowitz Gym Host: Eastern Montana College
Third Place - Eastern Montana 54, Chico State 49
South - Orlando, Florida Location: UCF Fieldhouse Host: University of Central Florida
Third Place - West Georgia 102, Morehouse 76
East - West Long Branch, New Jersey Location: William T. Boylan Gymnasium Host: Monmouth College
Third Place - Monmouth 79, Bloomsburg 64
New England - Manchester, New Hampshire Location: NHC Fieldhouse Host: New Hampshire College
Third Place - Stonehill 79, Springfield 78
*denotes each overtime played
National Quarterfinals
National Finals - Springfield, Massachusetts Location: Springfield Civic Center Hosts: American International College and Springfield College
Third Place - Cal Poly 62, Green Bay 61**
*denotes each overtime played
All-tournament team Jay Bruchak (Mount Saint Mary's) John Ebeling (Florida Southern) Mike Hayes (Florida Southern) Durelle Lewis (Mount Saint Mary's) Jim Rowe (Mount Saint Mary's)
See also 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament 1981 NCAA Division III basketball tournament 1981 NAIA men's basketball tournament
References
Sources 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Records and Statistics: Division II men's basketball Championship 1981 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament jonfmorse.com