The 1981 NAIA women's basketball tournament was the inaugural tournament held by the NAIA to determine the national champion of women's college basketball among its members in the United States and Canada.
Kentucky State defeated Texas Southern in the championship game, 73–67, to claim the Thorobrettes' first NAIA national title.
The tournament was played in Kansas City, Missouri.
Qualification
The inaugural tournament field was set at eight teams. All teams were seeded.
The tournament utilized a simple single-elimination format, with an additional third-place game for the two semifinal losers.
Qualified TeamsSchoolAppearanceLast BidAzusa Pacific1stNeverBerry1stNeverKentucky State1stNeverMissouri Western1stNeverNorthern State1stNeverSaginaw Valley State1stNeverTexas Southern1stNeverVirginia State1stNever
Bracket
See also 1981 AIAW National Division I Basketball Championship 1981 AIAW National Division II Basketball Championship 1981 AIAW National Division III Basketball Championship 1981 NAIA men's basketball tournament
References