| Sport: | basketball |
| Year: | 1980–81 |
| Prev Year: | 1979–80 |
| Next Year: | 1981–82 |
| Team: | Cornell Big Red |
| Conference: | Ivy |
| Short Conf: | Ivy |
| Record: | 7–19 |
| Conf Record: | 4—10 |
| Head Coach: | Tom Miller |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Arena: | Barton Hall |
The 1980–81 Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represented Cornell University during the 1980–81 college men's basketball season. The team finished with a final record of 7–19, 4—10, and they finished 6th in the Ivy League. This was coach Tom Miller's first season at Cornell.