NAIA men's basketball championship

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. The NAIA games can be watched online through the official NAIA provider StretchInternet.[3]

NAIA men's basketball championship
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023 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)
48 (2021 only)
Venue(s)Municipal Auditorium; Sanford Pentagon (D-II, 2017–2019)
Most recent
champion(s)		College of Idaho
Most titlesD-I: Oklahoma City (6)
D-II: Bethel (IN), Indiana Wesleyan, and Oregon Tech, Cornerstone University (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/sports/mbkb

History

The Men's Basketball Championship is mostly played at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.[4] 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.[5]

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.)"[6] 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 six. OCU also holds the record for most national championship titles in NAIA women's basketball.

Results
  • From 1937 to 1991, it was a single division
  • From 1992, it became the "Division I", returning to a single division in 2021.
NAIA men's basketball championships
Ed. Year Champion Score Runner-up Venue City
1
1937Central Missouri State35–24 [n 1]MorningsideMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
2
1938Central Missouri State45–30Roanoke
3
1939Southwestern (KS)32–31San Diego State
4
1940Tarkio52–31San Diego State
5
1941San Diego State36–32Murray State
6
1942Hamline33–31Southeastern Oklahoma State
7
1943Southeast Missouri State34–32Northwest Missouri State
–
1944
(No Tournament held)
8
1945Loyola (LA)49–36PepperdineMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
9
1946Southern Illinois49–40Indiana State
10
1947Marshall73–59Mankato State
11
1948Louisville82–70Indiana State
12
1949Hamline57–46Regis
13
1950Indiana State61–47East Central
14
1951Hamline69–61Millikin
15
1952Southwest Missouri State73–64Murray State
16
1953Southwest Missouri State79–71Hamline
17
1954St. Benedict's (KS)62–56Western Illinois
18
1955East Texas State71–54Southeastern Oklahoma State
19
1956McNeese State60–55Texas Southern
20
1957Tennessee A&I92–73Southeastern Oklahoma State
21
1958Tennessee A&I85–73Western Illinois
22
1959Tennessee A&I97–87Pacific Lutheran
23
1960Southwest Texas State66–44Westminster (PA)
24
1961Grambling95–75Georgetown (KY)
25
1962Prairie View A&M62–53Westminster (PA)
26
1963Pan American73–62Western Carolina
27
1964Rockhurst66–56Pan American
28
1965Central State (OH)85–51Oklahoma Baptist
29
1966Oklahoma Baptist88–59Georgia Southern
30
1967St. Benedict's (KS)71–65Oklahoma Baptist
31
1968Central State (OH)51–48Fairmont State (WV)
32
1969Eastern New Mexico99–76Maryland–Eastern Shore
33
1970Kentucky State79–71Central Washington
34
1971Kentucky State102–82Eastern Michigan
35
1972Kentucky State71–62Wisconsin–Eau Claire
36
1973Guilford99–96Maryland–Eastern Shore
37
1974West Georgia97–79Alcorn State
38
1975Grand Canyon65–54Midwestern StateKemper Arena
39
1976Coppin State96–91Henderson State
40
1977Texas Southern71–44Campbell
41
1978Grand Canyon79–75Kearney State
42
1979Drury60–54Henderson State
43
1980Cameron84–77Alabama State
44
1981Bethany Nazarene86–85 OTAlabama-Huntsville
45
1982South Carolina–Spartanburg51–38Biola
46
1983College of Charleston57–53West Virginia Wesleyan
47
1984Fort Hays State48–46 OTWisconsin–Stevens Point
48
1985Fort Hays State82–80 OTWayland Baptist
49
1986David Lipscomb67–54Arkansas-Monticello
50
1987Washburn79–77West Virginia State
51
1988Grand Canyon88–86 OTAuburn Montgomery
52
1989St. Mary's (TX)61–58East Central
53
1990Birmingham–Southern88–80Wisconsin–Eau Claire
54
1991Oklahoma City77–74Central Arkansas
55
1992Oklahoma City82–73 OTCentral Arkansas
56
1993Hawaii Pacific88–83Oklahoma Baptist
57
1994Oklahoma City99–81LifeMabee CenterTulsa, Oklahoma
58
1995Birmingham–Southern92–76Pfeiffer
59
1996Oklahoma City86–80Georgetown (KY)
60
1997Life73–64Oklahoma Baptist
61
1998Georgetown (KY)83–69Southern Nazarene
62
1999Life63–60MobileDonald W. Reynolds Center
63
2000Life61–59Georgetown (KY)Tulsa Convention Center
64
2001Faulkner63–59USAO
65
2002USAO96–79Oklahoma BaptistMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
66
2003Concordia–Irvine88–84 OTMountain State
67
2004Mountain State74–70Concordia–Irvine
68
2005John Brown65–55Azusa Pacific
69
2006Texas Wesleyan67–65Oklahoma City
70
2007Oklahoma City79–71Concordia–Irvine
71
2008Oklahoma City75–72Mountain State
72
2009Rocky Mountain77–61Columbia (MO)
73
2010Oklahoma Baptist84–83Azusa Pacific
74
2011Pikeville83–76 OTMountain State
75
2012Concordia–Irvine72–69Oklahoma Baptist
76
2013Georgetown (KY)88–62Southwestern Assemblies of God
77
2014[7]Vanguard70–65Emmanuel (GA)
78
2015[8]Dalton State71–53Westmont
79
2016Mid-America Christian100–99 OT[n 2]Georgetown (KY)
80
2017Texas Wesleyan86–76Life
81
2018Graceland83–80 OTLSU–Alexandria
82
2019Georgetown (KY)68–48Carroll (MT)
–
2020
(No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
83
2021 [n 3]Shawnee State74–68Lewis–Clark StateMunicipal AuditoriumKansas City, Missouri
84
2022Loyola (LA)71–56Talladega
85
2023College of Idaho73–71Indiana Tech
86
2024 [9]TBDTBDTBD
Notes
  1. Lowest scoring game.
  2. Highest scoring game.
  3. New tournament format.

Champions
  • Division II titles are not included in this list. Schools in italics are no longer in the NAIA.
TeamChampionshipsFinals recordWinning years
Oklahoma City66–11991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007, 2008
Hamline33–11942, 1949, 1951
Tennessee A&I33–01957, 1958, 1959
Kentucky State33–01970, 1971, 1972
Grand Canyon33–01975, 1978, 1988
Life33–21997, 1999, 2000
Georgetown (KY)33–41998, 2013, 2019
Central Missouri State22–01937, 1938
Loyola (LA)22–01945, 2022
Southwest Missouri State22–01952, 1953
St. Benedict's (KS)
(Benedictine)		22–01954, 1967
Central State (OH)22–01965, 1968
Oklahoma Baptist22–61966, 2010
Fort Hays State22–01984, 1985
Birmingham–Southern22–01990, 1995
Concordia–Irvine22–22003, 2012
Texas Wesleyan22–02006, 2017
Southwestern (KS)11–01939
Tarkio11–01940
San Diego State11–21941
Southeast Missouri State11–01943
Southern Illinois11–01946
Marshall11–01947
Louisville11–01948
Indiana State11–21950
East Texas State11–01955
McNeese State11–01956
Southwest Texas State11–01960
Grambling11–01961
Prairie View A&M11–01962
Pan American[lower-alpha 1]11–11963
Rockhurst11–01964
Eastern New Mexico11–01969
Guilford11–01973
West Georgia11–01974
Coppin State11–01976
Texas Southern11–11977
Drury11–01979
Cameron11–01980
Bethany Nazarene11–11981
USC Spartanburg11–01982
College of Charleston11–01983
David Lipscomb11–01986
Washburn11–01987
St. Mary's (TX)11–01989
Hawaii Pacific11–01993
Faulkner11–02001
USAO11–12002
Mountain State11–32004
John Brown11–02005
Rocky Mountain11–02009
Pikeville11–02011
Vanguard11–02014
Dalton State11–02015
Mid-America Christian11–02016
Graceland11–02018
Shawnee State11–02021
College of Idaho11–02023
  • Schools highlighted in pink are closed or no longer sponsor athletics.
  • Schools highlight in yellow have reclassified athletics from the NAIA.
  1. Pan American, later known as UT Pan American, ceased to exist in 2015, when the merger of UTPA with UT Brownsville took full effect. All history and records of the UTPA athletic program were transferred to the successor institution, UT Rio Grande Valley.

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 Basketball Tournament Viewing Sources". SBit. February 26, 2023.
  4. NAIA Men's Division I Championship History
  5. "New Basketball Postseason Format Approved" (Press release). NAIA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  6. Davis, Seth (2014). Wooden: A Coach's Life (First ed.). St. Martin's Griffin. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-25006085-3.
  7. "Vanguard Wins First National Championship, 70–65". NAIA. March 26, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  8. "Dalton State Wins First-Ever National Championship". NAIA. March 24, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  9. "NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship to Remain in Kansas City". NAIA. March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
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