NAIA men's basketball championship

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 the Manhattan Jaspers. 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read Hershel’s statement in the papers and quickly took a telegraphic poll amongst its members the following day that rescinded the racial ban.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 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 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.}}

;Notes

Champions

• Division II titles are not included in this list.

Active programs

Former programs

References

References

1. "NAIA national men's basketball championship record book". NAIA.
2. (March 4, 2021). "2021 Men’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round Field Announced".
3. (March 3, 2022). "2022 Men’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round Field Announced".
4. (February 26, 2023). "NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament Viewing Sources".
5. [http://www.naiahonors.org/records/MBBDIChampionshipHistory1223.pdf NAIA Men's Division I Championship History]
6. (July 2, 2018). "New Basketball Postseason Format Approved". NAIA.
7. Davis, Seth. (2014). "Wooden: A Coach's Life". St. Martin's Griffin.
8. (March 26, 2014). "Vanguard Wins First National Championship, 70–65". NAIA.
9. (March 24, 2015). "Dalton State Wins First-Ever National Championship". NAIA.
10. (March 22, 2019). "NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship to Remain in Kansas City". NAIA.