| Teams | 32 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals site | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | ||||
| Champions | Southwestern (KS) (1st title, 1st title game, 2nd Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | San Diego State (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| MVP | Edgar Hinshaw (Southwestern (Kan.)) | ||||
| |||||
The 1939 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 3rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. [1] This was also the year the NCAA basketball tournament was started.
This tournament also featured the lowest-scoring game in tournament history between Loras College (Iowa) and Central Missouri State University, the two-time champions. Loras scored a total of 16 points, a tournament low as well, Central Missouri State won the game with a total score of 20. The total combined score of the game was 36, resulting in the all-time lowest scoring game in tournament history.
The championship game featured Southwestern (KS) defeat San Diego State by a score of 32-31. It would be the closest final score until the 1981 tournament which ended in overtime with a score of 86-85. (1939, 1981, and 2016 are the only three years a team has won by one point, to date.)
This year the NAIA awarded the first Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award. The first award went to Edgar Hinshaw of Southwestern College
Many of the records set by the 1939 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:
| First round | Second round | Elite Eight | NAIA national semifinals | NAIA national championship | |||||||||||||||
| Wayne (MI) | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Anderson (IN) | 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wayne (MI) | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Glenville State | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Glenville State | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simpson | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Glenville State | 52 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TOP TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| St. Ambrose | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| St. Ambrose | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico Mines | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| St. Ambrose | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dakota Wesleyan | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dakota Wesleyan | 41 | ||||||||||||||||||
| West Texas State | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Glenville State | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern (KS) | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern (KS) | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eau Claire State | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern (KS) | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Westminster (MO) | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Westminster (MO) | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern (KS) | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TOP TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| NW Missouri State | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| NW Missouri State | 35 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wayne State (NE) | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| NW Missouri State | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Culver-Stockton | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Culver-Stockton | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Winona State | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern (KS) | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central Missouri State | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Columbia (IA) | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central Missouri State | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Augustana (IL) | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Augustana (IL) | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern State (LA) | 43 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Peru State | 45 | ||||||||||||||||||
| BOTTOM TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| Central Missouri State | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Trinity (TX) | 44 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alfred Holbrook | 41 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Trinity (TX) | 42* | ||||||||||||||||||
| Peru State | 48 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Peru State | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||
| High Point | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Peru State | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 43 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jordan | 37 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manchester | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central State (OK) | 50 | NAIA third-place game | |||||||||||||||||
| Manchester | 53 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manchester | 41 | Glenville State | 73 | ||||||||||||||||
| BOTTOM TIER | |||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 49 | Peru State | 49 | ||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Northern State | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 41 | ||||||||||||||||||
| East Texas State | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||
| SW Missouri State | 45 | ||||||||||||||||||
| East Texas State | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1937 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The first annual National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) basketball tournament featured eight teams playing in a single-elimination format. In 1938, it would expand to its current size of 32 teams.
The 1938 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The second annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1941 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 5th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1943 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 7th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game featured Southeast Missouri State defeating Northwest Missouri State 34–32.
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. 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.
The 1967 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 30th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. There were only 3 upsets in this tournament. The championship game featured St. Benedict's College (Kan.) and Oklahoma Baptist University. The Ravens would defeat the Biso 71–65. The 3rd place game featured Central Washington University defeating Morris Harvey College by a score of 106 to 92. 1967 was the final year of 21 straight tournaments to have a player make it on the all-time leading scorers list. The streak that began with Harold Haskins in 1947 ended with Al Tucker in 1967. This streak had peaked in 1957 when 7 all-timers played in one tournament. It is argued that this marked the end of the "golden age" of NAIA basketball. It was the third tournament won by the number one seed.
The 1947 NAIA National Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 10th annual men's basketball tournament of what is now the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1948 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 11th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1949 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 12th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1950 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 13th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1951 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 14th Annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
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. In 1952, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) changes its name to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
The 1953 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 16th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1954 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 17th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1955 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 18th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1956 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 19th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. 1956 would be the last tournament with unseeded teams.
The 1957 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 20th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1958 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 21st annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1960 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 23rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 1966 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 29th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This tournament featured the game with the most points scored. Al Tucker received the MVP award for the second time this year.