1980–81 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The 1980–81 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented University of North Carolina. Led by senior guard-forward Al Wood, it won the 1981 ACC Tournament and reached the championship of the NCAA Tournament, falling to Indiana University 63–50. The head coach was Dean Smith. The team played its home games at Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style=| Regular Season

!colspan=9 style=| ACC Tournament

!colspan=9 style=| NCAA Tournament

NCAA basketball tournament

 * West
 * North Carolina 74, Pittsburgh 57
 * North Carolina 61, Utah 56
 * North Carolina 82, Kansas State 68
 * Final Four
 * North Carolina 78, Virginia 65
 * Indiana 63, North Carolina 50

Awards and honors

 * Sam Perkins, ACC Rookie of the Year