The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Basketball national championship has been held annually since 1981. The NAIA Women's Tournament was established one year before the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament. It was created to crown a women's national title for smaller colleges and universities. From 1992 to 2020, the NAIA sponsored a women's division II championship tournament. The entire tournament is played in Sioux City, Iowa. Prior to the merger of D-I and D-II, a separate Division I tournament was held in Billings, Montana, while the Division II tournament was in Sioux City. Contracts for host cities for both divisions initially expired in 2017. Following renewals, the 2018 and 2019 tournaments were held in the same cities, but in 2020, the tournaments were called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The 2007 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March 14 to 20 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the 70th annual NAIA basketball tournament and features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This tournament had the most total points scored for both teams in one game in the history of the NAIA tournament. Totaling 243pts when Concordia (CA) got 124pts and beat Robert Morris (IL) who has 119pts. That game went into 4 overtimes. Concordia would go on to be the 2007 runner-up to Oklahoma City University. Oklahoma City University would beat Concordia 79 to 71.
The 2006 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March 15 to 21 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the 69th annual NAIA Division I basketball tournament and featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 2005 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held from March 16 to 22 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The sixty-eighth annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The 2005 National Champions were the unranked John Brown University who defeated the 9th ranked Azusa Pacific University by a score of 65 to 55. The other NAIA National semifinalists were Carroll College (MT) and Robert Morris College (IL).
The 2004 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the 67th annual NAIA DI basketball tournament and featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This was the third year the tournament was held in Kansas City. The 2004 NAIA national championship game featured the #1 ranked Cougars of Mountain State and the #6 ranked Eagles of Concordia University (CA). This match up was a repeat of the 2003 tournament. The Cougars defeated the Eagles 74–70. The other teams that rounded out the NAIA national semifinals were Georgetown College (KY) and University of Mobile, respectively.
The 2003 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 66th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The 2003 National Championship game would feature Concordia (CA) and Mountain State. That game would be the 6th championship game to go into overtime. The Eagles would defeat the Cougars by an overtime score of 88 to 84. The other teams making it to the NAIA national semifinals were Georgetown (KY), and McKendree.
The 2002 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the first NAIA tournament back in Kansas City since 1993. The NAIA headquarters also relocated to Olathe, Kansas this year. The 65th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The 2002 champion was 2001's runner-up, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The Drovers faced Sooner Athletic Conference rival Oklahoma Baptist University in the championship game. It was the first time two teams from the Sooner Athletic Conference ever met in the national championship game. And the first SAC team to win the tournament since Oklahoma City University won in 1996. The Drovers rolled over the Bison 96–79. Finishing out the NAIA Semifinals were Azusa Pacific University and Barat College.
The 64th NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the second tournament held in the Tulsa Convention Center and the last tournament to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 64th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. 2001 would bring four new teams to the NAIA national semifinals. The first tournament since 1969 tournament to do so.. It surpasses the 15 year gap between a fresh set of semi-finalist that was between 1947-1969. It would be the only time this would happen outside of Kansas City.
The 72nd Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March 18 to 24 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 72nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The Heart of America Athletic Conference was the host conference for the tournament. This was the Heart of America Athletic Conference's first year as a Division I conference.
The 63rd NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 63rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game featured Life University and Georgetown College. Life would defeat Georgetown by a score of 63 to 59.
The Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm are the athletic teams that represent Southern Nazarene University, located in Bethany, Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Great American Conference (GAC) since the 2012–13 academic year. The Crimson Storm previously competed in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1978–79 to 2011–12; and in the Texoma Athletic Conference from 1972–73 to 1977–78.
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 2010 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 73rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. In 2010, both Buffalo Funds and the City of Kansas City extended contracts with the NAIA to remain title sponsors and will keep the tournament in Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium until 2013. This was the second year that the Heart of America Conference was the tournament host.
The 2011 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 74th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 2015 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 78th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. 2015 tournament would bring four new teams to the NAIA national semifinals. The first tournament since 2005 tournament to do so.. As of 2018, it is the most recent tournament to do so.
The 2016 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 79th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The 2017 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 80th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The opening game round started on March 15, and the National Championship Game was played on March 21.
The 2012 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 75th annual NAIA basketball tournament features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The opening game started on March 14, and the National Championship Game was played on March 20.
The 2013 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 76th annual NAIA basketball tournament features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The opening game started on March 13, and the National Championship Game was played on March 19.
The 2018 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 81st annual NAIA basketball tournament features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The opening game round started on March 14, and the National Championship Game was played on March 20. As of 2018, 576 schools have participated in the NAIA Men's Tournament. 48 states, all but Alaska and Wyoming have been represented.
