1981 NAIA men's basketball tournament

The 1981 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The 44th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] The championship game featured Bethany Nazarene College and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. It was the first time the championship game that went into overtime. Bethany Nazarene edged out Alabama-Huntsville with the final score of 86-85 (OT). 1981 was also the first year the NAIA held a women's national basketball championship tournament. For the second time since 1963, the year the award was established, there was a tie for the leading scorer. Todd Thurman, and George Torres both scored 104 over course of the 1981 tournament. There have been no ties since. And for the first time since the Coach of the Year Award was established, Ken Anderson, won Coach of the Year for the second time. No other coach has won the award twice.

1981 (1981) NAIA men's basketball tournament
Teams32
Finals siteKemper Arena
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsBethany Nazarene (Okla.) (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Fab Four)
Runner-upAlabama – Huntsville (1st title game,
1st Fab Four)
Semifinalists
Coach of the yearKen Anderson (Wisconsin–Eau Claire)
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
James Mundie (Alabama-Huntsville)
Chuck Taylor MVPGeorge Torres (Bethany Nazarene)
Top scorersTodd Thurman (Bethany Nazarene)
George Torres (Bethany Nazarene)
(104 points)
NAIA men's tournaments
«1980 1982»

Awards and honors
  • Leading scorers; tie: Todd Thurman, Bethany Nazarene (Okla.); 5 games, 42 field goals, 20 free throws, totaling 104 points (averaging 20.8 points per game); George Torres, Bethany Nazarene (Okla.); 5 games, 33 field goals, 38 free throws, totaling 104 points (averaging 20.8 points per game)
  • Leading rebounder: Ricky Knight, Alabama-Huntsville. In 5 games, 62 total rebounds (averaging 12.4 rebounds per game)
  • Player of the Year: est. 1994
  • All-time leading scorer; second appearance: Tony Carr 13th, Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1979,80,81,82); 15 games, 114 field goals, 45 free throws, totaling 273 points (18.2 average points per game).[2]

1981 NAIA bracket
First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
               
1 Briar Cliff (Iowa) 76
- Fairmont State (W. Virginia) 67
1 Briar Cliff 46
16 Hillsdale 53
- Dominican (N.Y.) 64
16 Hillsdale (Mich.) 70
16 Hillsdale 65
TOP TIER
- Midwestern State 64
9 Western New Mexico 55
- Midwestern State (Texas) 56
- Midwestern State 104
- Lincoln Memorial 87
- Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 71
8 Rockhurst (Mo.) 68
16 Hillsdale 60
5 Alabama-Huntsville 65
5 Alabama-Huntsville 105
- Norfolk State (Virginia) 75
5 Alabama-Huntsville 67
12 Oregon College 62
- Xavier (La.) 66
12 Oregon College 98
5 Alabama-Huntsville 94
TOP TIER
- Hanover 74
13 Henderson State (Ark.) 50
- South Carolina-Spartanburg 61
- South Carolina-Spartanburg 60
- Hanover 72
- Hanover (Ind.) 66
4 Fort Hays State (Kan.) 64
5 Alabama-Huntsville 85*
6 Bethany Nazarene 86
3 Augsburg (Minn.) 56
- Drury (Mo.) 54
3 Augsburg 81
14 Kearney State 77
- Campbellsville (Ky.) 96
14 Kearney State (Neb.) 108
3 Augsburg 69
BOTTOM TIER
6 Bethany Nazarene 84
11 Southern Tech (Ga.) 82
- Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 75
- Southern Tech 58
6 Bethany Nazarene 88
- Chicago State (Ill.) 63
6 Bethany Nazarene (Okla.) 69
6 Bethany Nazarene 62
2 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 54
7 Huron (S.D.) 59
- Gardner–Webb (N. C.) 52
7 Huron 52
10 Biola 50
- Central Washington 42
10 Biola (California) 57
7 Huron 29
BOTTOM TIER
2 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 35
15 Cedarville (Ohio) 57
- Waynesburg (Pa.) 60
- Waynesburg 21
2 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 22
- St. Mary's (Texas) 59
2 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 61
  •  * denotes overtime.

Third-place game

The third-place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.

NAIA third-place game
   
16 Hillsdale 60
2 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 90

See also

References
  1. "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. NAIA Championship History Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
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