1981 Big East men's basketball tournament

1981 Big East men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season1980–81
Teams8
SiteCarrier Dome
Syracuse, NY
ChampionsSyracuse (1st title)
Winning coachJim Boeheim (1st title)
MVPLeo Rautins (Syracuse)
← 1980
1982 →
1980–81 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Boston College 10 4   .714 23 7   .767
Georgetown 9 5   .643 20 12   .625
St. John's 8 6   .571 17 11   .607
Villanova 8 6   .571 20 11   .645
Connecticut 8 6   .571 20 9   .690
Syracuse 6 8   .429 22 12   .647
Seton Hall 4 10   .286 11 16   .407
Providence 3 11   .214 10 18   .357
1981 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[1]

The 1981 Big East men's basketball tournament took place at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY. It was a single-elimination tournament with three rounds. Boston College had the best regular season conference record and received the #1 seed.

Syracuse defeated Villanova in the championship game by a score of 83–80 in triple overtime.