1941 NAIA basketball tournament

Last updated

1941 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Teams32
Finals site Municipal Auditorium,
Kansas City, Missouri
Champions San Diego State (1st title, 3rd title game,
3rd Final Four)
Runner-up Murray State (1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
MVP Charles Thomas (Northwestern State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
« 1940 1942 »

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. [1]

Contents

The third time was the charm for the San Diego State Aztecs. After losing the previous two years to Southwestern College and Tarkio College, the Aztecs finally won beating Murray State, 36–34.

It also was the first time that the tournament MVP was awarded to a player whose team did not win the championship, or make the NAIA Final Four (Charles Thomas played for Northwestern State which lost in the second round to Texas Wesleyan. San Diego State was the first team to make it to the championship game three times.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1941 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:

Bracket

First roundSecond roundElite EightNAIA national semifinalsNAIA national championship
          
West Texas State 77
Dubuque 39
West Texas State52
St. Mary’s (MN) 39
Saint Mary’s (MN) 38
Tarkio 28
West Texas State54
TOP TIER
Delta State 34
Superior State 51
Morningside 42
Superior State 45
Delta State53
Delta State 52
Sioux Falls 35
West Texas State 40
San Diego State43
Northwestern State (LA) 50
Central Missouri State 43
Northwestern State (LA) 47
Texas Wesleyan56
Texas Wesleyan 71
Evansville 62
Texas Wesleyan 42
TOP TIER
San Diego State44
Culver-Stockton 40
Texas Western 26
Culver-Stockton 41*
San Diego State46
San Diego State 46
Western Montana 29
San Diego State36
Murray State 34
Stephen F. Austin 64
Simpson 50
Stephen F. Austin 28
NW Missouri State34
NW Missouri State 35
Dakota Wesleyan 31
NW Missouri State 43
BOTTOM TIER
Murray State46
Alma 43
Panhandle A&M 24
Alma 33
Murray State51
Murray State 68
Oregon College 46
Murray State35
Santa Barbara 33
Appalachian State 63
Baker (KS) 42
Appalachian State48
Baltimore 36
Baltimore 52NAIA Third-place game
Omaha 35
Appalachian State 29 West Texas State43
BOTTOM TIER
Santa Barbara36Santa Barbara 35
Santa Barbara 32
Wayne State (NE) 26
Bemidji State 29*
Santa Barbara31
Bemidji State 35
Pittsburg State 33

See also

References