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| Season | 1980–81 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 48 | ||||
| Finals site | The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||||
| Champions | Indiana Hoosiers (4th title, 4th title game, 5th Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | North Carolina Tar Heels (5th title game, 8th Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Bob Knight (2nd title) | ||||
| MOP | Isiah Thomas (Indiana) | ||||
| Attendance | 347,414 | ||||
| Top scorer | Al Wood (North Carolina) (109 points) | ||||
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The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Philadelphia. A total of 48 games were played, including a national third-place game (the last in the NCAA tournament). It was also the last tournament to be televised on NBC, before CBS took over the following year. Additionally, it was the last season in which the NCAA sponsored championships only in men's sports; the first Division I women's tournament would be played the following year.
Indiana, coached by Bob Knight, won the national title with a 63–50 victory over North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith. Isiah Thomas of Indiana was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.