NAIA men's basketball championship

NAIA men's basketball championship

Current season, competition or edition: 2022 NAIA men's basketball tournament
File:NAIA basketball logo.png
Formerly	National college basketball tournament (1937–1981)
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1937
Founder	James Naismith
Motto	Passion. Tradition. History.
Divisions	1 2 (1992–2020)
No. of teams	64 32 (1992–2020)
Venue(s)	Municipal Auditorium; Sanford Pentagon (D-II, 2017–2019)
Most recent champion(s)	Loyola (LA)
Most titles	D-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 website	naia.org/sports/mbkb

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. The 2022 tournament expanded again to 64 teams. 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.

History

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

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.)" 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

• 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 Team	Arena	City
1	1937	Central Missouri State	35–24	Morningside	Municipal Auditorium	Kansas City, Missouri
2	1938	Central Missouri State	45–30	Roanoke
3	1939	Southwestern (KS)	32–31	San Diego State
4	1940	Tarkio	52–31	San Diego State
5	1941	San Diego State	36–32	Murray State
6	1942	Hamline	33–31	Southeastern Oklahoma State
7	1943	Southeast Missouri State	34–32	Northwest Missouri State
–	1944	(No Tournament held)
8	1945	Loyola (LA)	49–36	Pepperdine	Municipal Auditorium	Kansas City, Missouri
9	1946	Southern Illinois	49–40	Indiana State
10	1947	Marshall	73–59	Mankato State
11	1948	Louisville	82–70	Indiana State
12	1949	Hamline	57–46	Regis
13	1950	Indiana State	61–47	East Central
14	1951	Hamline	69–61	Millikin
15	1952	Southwest Missouri State	73–64	Murray State
16	1953	Southwest Missouri State	79–71	Hamline
17	1954	St. Benedict's (KS)	62–56	Western Illinois
18	1955	East Texas State	71–54	Southeastern Oklahoma State
19	1956	McNeese State	60–55	Texas Southern
20	1957	Tennessee State	92–73	Southeastern Oklahoma State
21	1958	Tennessee State	85–73	Western Illinois
22	1959	Tennessee State	97–87	Pacific Lutheran
23	1960	Southwest Texas State	66–44	Westminster (PA)
24	1961	Grambling	95–75	Georgetown (KY)
25	1962	Prairie View A&M	62–53	Westminster (PA)
26	1963	Pan American	73–62	Western Carolina
27	1964	Rockhurst	66–56	Pan American
28	1965	Central State (OH)	85–51	Oklahoma Baptist
29	1966	Oklahoma Baptist	88–59	Georgia Southern
30	1967	St. Benedict's (KS)	71–65	Oklahoma Baptist
31	1968	Central State (OH)	51–48	Fairmont State (WV)
32	1969	Eastern New Mexico	99–76	Maryland–Eastern Shore
33	1970	Kentucky State	79–71	Central Washington
34	1971	Kentucky State	102–82	Eastern Michigan
35	1972	Kentucky State	71–62	Wisconsin–Eau Claire
36	1973	Guilford	99–96	Maryland–Eastern Shore
37	1974	West Georgia	97–79	Alcorn State
38	1975	Grand Canyon	65–54	Midwestern State	Kemper Arena
39	1976	Coppin State	96–91	Henderson State
40	1977	Texas Southern	71–44	Campbell
41	1978	Grand Canyon	79–75	Kearney State
42	1979	Drury	60–54	Henderson State
43	1980	Cameron	84–77	Alabama State
44	1981	Bethany Nazarene	86–85 (a.e.t.)	Alabama-Huntsville
45	1982	South Carolina–Spartanburg	51–38	Biola
46	1983	College of Charleston	57–53	West Virginia Wesleyan
47	1984	Fort Hays State	48–46 (a.e.t.)	Wisconsin–Stevens Point
48	1985	Fort Hays State	82–80 (a.e.t.)	Wayland Baptist
49	1986	David Lipscomb	67–54	Arkansas-Monticello
50	1987	Washburn	79–77	West Virginia State
51	1988	Grand Canyon	88–86 (a.e.t.)	Auburn Montgomery
52	1989	St. Mary's (TX)	61–58	East Central
53	1990	Birmingham–Southern	88–80	Wisconsin–Eau Claire
54	1991	Oklahoma City	77–74	Central Arkansas
55	1992	Oklahoma City	82–73 (a.e.t.)	Central Arkansas
56	1993	Hawaii Pacific	88–83	Oklahoma Baptist
57	1994	Oklahoma City	99–81	Life	Mabee Center	Tulsa, Oklahoma
58	1995	Birmingham–Southern	92–76	Pfeiffer
59	1996	Oklahoma City	86–80	Georgetown (KY)
60	1997	Life	73–64	Oklahoma Baptist
61	1998	Georgetown (KY)	83–69	Southern Nazarene
62	1999	Life	63–60	Mobile	Donald W. Reynolds Center
63	2000	Life	61–59	Georgetown (KY)	Tulsa Convention Center
64	2001	Faulkner	63–59	USAO
65	2002	USAO	96–79	Oklahoma Baptist	Municipal Auditorium	Kansas City, Missouri
66	2003	Concordia–Irvine	88–84 (a.e.t.)	Mountain State
67	2004	Mountain State	74–70	Concordia–Irvine
68	2005	John Brown	65–55	Azusa Pacific
69	2006	Texas Wesleyan	67–65	Oklahoma City
70	2007	Oklahoma City	79–71	Concordia–Irvine
71	2008	Oklahoma City	75–72	Mountain State
72	2009	Rocky Mountain	77–61	Columbia (MO)
73	2010	Oklahoma Baptist	84–83	Azusa Pacific
74	2011	Pikeville	83–76 (a.e.t.)	Mountain State
75	2012	Concordia–Irvine	72–69	Oklahoma Baptist
76	2013	Georgetown (KY)	88–62	Southwestern Assemblies of God
77	2014	Vanguard	70–65	Emmanuel (GA)
78	2015	Dalton State	71–53	Westmont
79	2016	Mid-America Christian	100–99 (a.e.t.)	Georgetown (KY)
80	2017	Texas Wesleyan	86–76	Life
81	2018	Graceland	83–80 (a.e.t.)	LSU–Alexandria
82	2019	Georgetown (KY)	68–48	Carroll (MT)
–	2020	(No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
83	2021	Shawnee State	74–68	Lewis–Clark State	Municipal Auditorium	Kansas City, Missouri
84	2022	Loyola (LA)	71–56	Talladega (AL)
85	2023	TBD	TBD	TBD
86	2024	TBD	TBD	TBD

Notes

See also

• NAIA Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player
• NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship
• NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
• NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championship
• NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
• NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
• NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament