The 2001 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was the 45th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States. Officially culminating the , the tournament featured forty-eight teams from around the country. The Elite Eight, national semifinals, and championship were played, for the first time, at the Centennial Garden in Bakersfield, California. The Panthers were coached by Ray Harper. Kentucky Wesleyan's was the Most Outstanding Player.