| Year: | 1979 |
| Conference: | Eastern 8 |
| Division: | I |
| Gender: | Men's |
| Teams: | 8 |
| Arena: | Civic Arena |
| City: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Champions: | Rutgers |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Coach: | Tom Young |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
| Mvp: | James Bailey |
| Mvpteam: | Rutgers |
The 1979 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Civic Arena from February 27 to March 3, 1979 (First Round games were held at campus sites). Rutgers defeated Pittsburgh 61-57 in the final.
| Villanova | 9 1 | 15 13 |
| West Virginia | 7 3 | 16 12 |
| Rutgers | 7 3 | 22 9 |
| Pittsburgh | 6 4 | 18 11 |
| George Washington | 5 5 | 13 14 |
| Penn State | 4 6 | 12 18 |
| Duquesne | 2 8 | 13 13 |
| Massachusetts | 0 10 | 5 22 |
| Overall Non-Conference Record 74-72 |