| Year: | 1981 |
| Conference: | East Coast Conference (Division I) |
| Division: | I |
| Gender: | Men's |
| Teams: | 12 |
| 1Stroundarena: | Home Courts |
| Quarterarena: | Home Courts |
| Semiarena: | Palestra |
| Semicity: | Philadelphia, PA |
| Finalarena: | Palestra |
| Finalcity: | Philadelphia, PA |
| Champions: | Saint Joseph's |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Coach: | Jim Lynam |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
The 1981 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament was held March 5–8, 1981.[1] The champion gained and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
* denotes overtime game