| Year: | 1981–82 |
| Record: | 10–17 |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Conference: | Big Eight Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Eight |
| Team: | Iowa State Cyclones |
| Head Coach: | Johnny Orr |
| Conf Record: | 5–9 |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Stadium: | Hilton Coliseum |
The 1981–82 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Johnny Orr, who was in his 2nd season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
They finished the season 10–17, 5–9 in Big Eight play to finish in sixth. The Cyclones lost in the first round of the Big Eight tournament to Oklahoma, falling 71-67.
|-!colspan=6 style=""|Exhibition
|-!colspan=6 style=""|Regular Season|-!colspan=6 style=""|Big Eight tournament|-[2]