1952 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1952 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 15th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] In 1952, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) changes its name to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)[2]

1952 (1952) NAIA men's basketball tournament
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsSouthwest Missouri State (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Fab Four)
Runner-upMurray State (2nd title game,
4th Fab Four)
Semifinalists
Chuck Taylor MVPBennie Purcell (Murray State)
NAIA men's tournaments
«1951 1953»

The championship game featured Southwest Missouri State, now Missouri State University, who defeated Murray State, 73–64.

Finishing out the NAIA Final Four, and playing for the 3rd place game were Southwest Texas State, now Texas State University–San Marcos, and Portland. The Bears of Southwest Missouri State defeated the Pilots of Portland, 78–68.

A notorious game happened in the first round between Moringside and Pepperdine. There was a tournament record of forty personal fouls between the two teams in one game. Incidentally, Morningside would win the game 84 to 80.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1952 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:

  • Leading scorer est. 1963
  • Leading rebounder est. 1963
  • Charles Stevenson Hustle Award est. 1958
  • Coach of the Year est. 1954
  • Player of the Year est. 1994
  • Most personal fouls in one game: 40, Pepperdine (Calif.) vs. Morningside (Iowa)
  • All-time scoring leader; first appearance: E.C. O'Neal, 9th, Arkansas Tech (1952,53,54,55), 13 games, 122 field goals, 43 free throws, totaling 287 points, 22.1 average per game.
  • All-time scoring leaders; third appearance: Lloyd Thorgaard, 10th, Hamline (Minn.) (1950,51,52,53), 15 games, 111 field goals, 61 free throws, 283 total points, 18.9 average per game; James Fritsche, 14th, Hamline (Minn.) (1950,51,52,53), 15 games, 113 field goals, 46 free throws, 272 total points, 18.1 average per game.[3]

Bracket
First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
          
Montana State 82
American International 66
Montana State 72
Hamline 85
Hamline 91
Tampa 65
Hamline 65
TOP TIER
Portland 75
Portland 84
Findlay 82
Portland 72
Memphis State 48
Memphis State 60
Baltimore 39
Portland 57
Murray State 58
West Texas State 88
West Liberty State 69
West Texas State 73*
Murray State 75
Murray State 72
Centenary (LA) 46
Murray State 81
TOP TIER
Whitworth 69
Whitworth 71
Whitewater State 60
Whitworth 72
Millikin 71
Millikin 101
Elon 69
Murray State 64
Southwest Missouri State 73
Southwest Missouri State 87
Chadron State 66
Southwest Missouri State 82
Indiana State 64
Indiana State 79
Fairleigh Dickinson 72
Southwest Missouri State 87
BOTTOM TIER
Morningside 74
Morningside 84
Pepperdine 80
Morningside 98
Eastern Illinois State 93
Eastern Illinois State 113
Huron 78
Southwest Missouri State 70
Southwest Texas State 67**
Utah State 85
Clarion State 68
Utah State 63
Lawrence Tech 72
Lawrence Tech 97 NAIA third-place game
Washburn 80
Lawrence Tech 57 Portland 68
BOTTOM TIER
Southwest Texas State 65 Southwest Texas State 78
New Mexico A&M 86
Mississippi Southern 70
New Mexico A&M 52
Southwest Texas State 69
Southwest Texas State 97
Arkansas Tech 53
  •  *  denotes each overtime.

See also

References
  1. "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  2. NAIA History Archived November 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. NAIA Championship History Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
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