| Year: | 1981 |
| Conference: | SWAC |
| Division: | I |
| Gender: | Men's |
| Teams: | 7 |
| 1Stroundarena: | Campus Sites |
| Semiarena: | F. G. Clark Center |
| Semicity: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Finalarena: | F. G. Clark Center |
| Finalcity: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Champions: | Southern |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Coach: | Carl Stewart |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
The 1981 SWAC men's basketball tournament was held March 5–7, 1981. The quarterfinal round was held at the home arena of the higher-seeded team, while the semifinal and championship rounds were held at the F. G. Clark Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1] Southern defeated, 69–63 in the championship game. The Jaguars received the conference's automatic bid to the 1981 NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region.