| Mode: | Basketball |
| Year: | 1980–81 |
| Team: | Houston Cougars |
| Conference: | Southwest Conference |
| Short Conf: | SWC |
| Prev Year: | 1979–80 |
| Next Year: | 1981–82 |
| Record: | 21–9 |
| Conf Record: | 10–6 |
| Hc Year: | 25th |
| Asst Coach1: | Terry Kirkpatrick |
| Asst Coach2: | Don Schverak |
| Champion: | SWC tournament champions |
| Tourney Result: | First Round |
The 1980–81 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston in NCAA Division I competition in the 1980–81 season.
Houston, coached by Guy Lewis, played its home games in the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas, and was then a member of the Southwest Conference.
|-!colspan=9 style=| Regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| SWC Tournament|-!colspan=9 style=| NCAA Tournament[1]
See main article: 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. [2]