NAIA Men's Basketball Championships

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 (with the exception of 1944 and 2020). The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for smaller colleges and universities. Through the 2019–20 season, the NAIA Tournament featured 32 teams, and the entire tournament was contested at one location in one week, rather than multiple locations over a series of weekends. Beginning with the 2021 edition, the tournament expanded to 48 teams, starting with play at 16 regional sites, with only the winners at these sites playing at the final venue.[1] The 2022 tournament expanded again to 64 teams.[2] From 1992 to 2020, the NAIA sponsored a Division II championship. The Division I tournament is played in Kansas City, Missouri, while in 2020, the Division II tournament was to be held for the last time at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; however, the tournaments were called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NAIA returned to a one-division setup in 2021.

NAIA Men's Basketball Championships
Current season, competition or edition:
2022 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament
FormerlyNational College Basketball Tournament (1937–1981)
SportBasketball
Founded1937
FounderJames Naismith
MottoPassion. Tradition. History.
Divisions1
2 (1992–2020)
No. of teams64
32 (1992–2020)
Venue(s)Municipal Auditorium; Sanford Pentagon (D-II, 2017–2019)
Most recent
champion(s)		Loyola (LA)
Most titlesD-I: Oklahoma City (6)
D-II: Bethel (IN), Indiana Wesleyan, and Oregon Tech (3 each)
TV partner(s)CBS College Sports Network (national)
ESPN 3 (national)
TWC Sports Channel (Kansas City area)
Victory Sports Network (national)
Related
competitions		NAIA Women's Basketball Championships
Official websiteNAIA.org
NAIA Men's Basketball

History

The Men's Basketball Championship is mostly played at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.[3] It has been held in Kansas City every year since the tournament began except from 1994 to 2001, when it was played in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and in 2020, when no tournament was held. Kansas City will continue to host until at least 2024. In 2018, the NAIA announced a new format for the 2021 tournament after the merger of D-I and D-II. Under the new format, the men's and women's tournaments each involve 64 teams (the first post-COVID tournaments in 2021 had 48 teams). The first two rounds are played at 16 separate sites, with only the 16 winners at these sites advancing to Kansas City.[4]

The tournament MVP has been presented with the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player award since 1939. In 1948 the NAIA became the first national organization to open their intercollegiate postseason to black student-athletes due primarily to the media attention surrounding Manhattan College. Manhattan, who had an all-white team, learned of the NAIA rule that prohibited blacks from participating in the tournament, and after asking the NAIA to rescind the rule, the NAIA refused and Manhattan withdrew from the tournament. "The battle might have ended there but for a man named Harry Henshel, who was a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball committee. One of the reasons that the NAIA tournament was so prestigious was that the champion was invited to compete at the Olympic trials in New York City in late March. (The other teams invited were the two NCAA finalists, three teams from the Amateur Athletic Union, the winner of the National Invitation Tournament, and a YMCA team.)"[5] After reading in the New York papers that blacks could not participate in the tournament, Henshel suggested to the media that the NAIA national champion be eliminated from Olympic consideration. NAIA officials read Hershel’s statement in the papers and quickly took a telegraphic poll amongst its members the following day that rescinded the racial ban. In 1947, Coach John Wooden of Indiana State refused the invitation to the NAIA National Tournament primarily because Clarence J. Walker, the only black player on his team could not participate. Because of the stance taken by Manhattan College and Harry Hansel, in 1948, Coach Wooden was able to take Walker to the tournament who became the first African-American student-athlete to play in the NAIA tournament. Walker, a vital role player, helped the Sycamores finish as the NAIA's national finalist. In 1957, Tennessee State became the first historically black college to win a national championship, and the first team to win three consecutive tournaments. As of 2017, Kentucky State is the only other school to do so (1970, 1971, 1972). Oklahoma City University holds the record for the most tournament championships with 6. OCU also holds the record for most national championship titles in NAIA Women's Basketball.

Results

Single Division
YearChampionship TeamScoreRunner-Up TeamArenaLocation
1937Central Missouri State35–24#MorningsideMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
1938Central Missouri State45–30Roanoke
1939Southwestern (KS)32–31San Diego State
1940Tarkio52–31San Diego State
1941San Diego State36–32Murray State
1942Hamline33–31Southeastern Oklahoma State
1943Southeast Missouri State34–32Northwest Missouri State
1944No Tournament held
1945Loyola (LA)49–36PepperdineMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
1946Southern Illinois49–40Indiana State
1947Marshall73–59Mankato State
1948Louisville82–70Indiana State
1949Hamline57–46Regis
1950Indiana State61–47East Central
1951Hamline69–61Millikin
1952Southwest Missouri State73–64Murray State
1953Southwest Missouri State79–71Hamline
1954St. Benedict's (KS)62–56Western Illinois
1955East Texas State71–54Southeastern Oklahoma State
1956McNeese State60–55Texas Southern
1957Tennessee State92–73Southeastern Oklahoma State
1958Tennessee State85–73Western Illinois
1959Tennessee State97–87Pacific Lutheran
1960Southwest Texas State66–44Westminster (PA)
1961Grambling95–75Georgetown (KY)
1962Prairie View A&M62–53Westminster (PA)
1963Pan American73–62Western Carolina
1964Rockhurst66–56Pan American
1965Central State (OH)85–51Oklahoma Baptist
1966Oklahoma Baptist88–59Georgia Southern
1967St. Benedict's (KS)71–65Oklahoma Baptist
1968Central State (OH)51–48Fairmont State (WV)
1969Eastern New Mexico99–76Maryland–Eastern Shore
1970Kentucky State79–71Central Washington
1971Kentucky State102–82Eastern Michigan
1972Kentucky State71–62Wisconsin–Eau Claire
1973Guilford99–96Maryland–Eastern Shore
1974West Georgia97–79Alcorn State
1975Grand Canyon65–54Midwestern StateKemper Arena
1976Coppin State96–91Henderson State
1977Texas Southern71–44Campbell
1978Grand Canyon79–75Kearney State
1979Drury60–54Henderson State
1980Cameron84–77Alabama State
1981Bethany Nazarene86–85*Alabama-Huntsville
1982South Carolina–Spartanburg51–38Biola
1983College of Charleston57–53West Virginia Wesleyan
1984Fort Hays State48–46*Wisconsin–Stevens Point
1985Fort Hays State82–80*Wayland Baptist
1986David Lipscomb67–54Arkansas-Monticello
1987Washburn79–77West Virginia State
1988Grand Canyon88–86*Auburn Montgomery
1989St. Mary's (TX)61–58East Central
1990Birmingham–Southern88–80Wisconsin–Eau Claire
1991Oklahoma City77–74Central Arkansas

Division I
See also: NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship
YearChampionship TeamScoreRunner-Up TeamArenaLocation
1992Oklahoma City82–73*Central Arkansas
1993Hawaii Pacific88–83Oklahoma Baptist
1994Oklahoma City99–81LifeMabee CenterTulsa, Oklahoma
1995Birmingham–Southern92–76Pfeiffer
1996Oklahoma City86–80Georgetown (KY)
1997Life73–64Oklahoma Baptist
1998Georgetown (KY)83–69Southern Nazarene
1999Life63–60MobileDonald W. Reynolds Center
2000Life61–59Georgetown (KY)Tulsa Convention Center
2001Faulkner63–59USAO
2002USAO96–79Oklahoma BaptistMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
2003Concordia–Irvine88–84*Mountain State
2004Mountain State74–70Concordia–Irvine
2005John Brown65–55Azusa Pacific
2006Texas Wesleyan67–65Oklahoma City
2007Oklahoma City79–71Concordia–Irvine
2008Oklahoma City75–72Mountain State
2009Rocky Mountain77–61Columbia (MO)
2010Oklahoma Baptist84–83Azusa Pacific
2011Pikeville83–76*Mountain State
2012Concordia–Irvine72–69Oklahoma Baptist
2013Georgetown (KY)88–62Southwestern Assemblies of God
2014[6]Vanguard70–65Emmanuel (GA)
2015[7]Dalton State71–53Westmont
2016Mid-America Christian100–99*†Georgetown (KY)
2017Texas Wesleyan86–76Life
2018Graceland83–80*LSU–Alexandria
2019Georgetown (KY)68–48Carroll (MT)
2020No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Single Division
YearChampionship TeamScoreRunner-Up TeamArenaLocation
2021**Shawnee State74-68Lewis–Clark StateMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
2022Loyola (LA)71-56Talladega (AL)
2023TBDTBDTBD
2024[8]TBDTBDTBD

# – Lowest scoring game. † – Highest scoring game. * – Denotes each overtime. ** – Denotes new tournament format.

See also

References
  1. "2021 Men's Basketball National Championship Opening Round Field Announced". NAIA.org. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. "2022 Men's Basketball National Championship Opening Round Field Announced". NAIA.org. March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. NAIA Men's Division I Championship History
  4. "New Basketball Postseason Format Approved" (Press release). NAIA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  5. Davis, Seth (2014). Wooden, A Coach's Life (First ed.). St. Martin's Griffin. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-25006085-3.
  6. "Vanguard Wins First National Championship, 70–65". NAIA. March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  7. "Dalton State Wins First-Ever National Championship". NAIA. March 24, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  8. "NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship to Remain in Kansas City". NAIA. March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
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