1939 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

1939 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
Teams 32
Finals Site Municipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
Champions Southwestern (Kan.)
(1st title, 1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Runner-Up San Diego State
(1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists Glenville State (W.Va.)
(1st Final Four)
Peru State (Neb.)
(1st Final Four)
Chuck Taylor MVP Edgar Hinshaw
(Southwestern (Kan.))
NAIA Men's Division I Tournaments
← 1938 1940 →

The 1939 NAIA Division I Men's 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 College (Kan.) 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 and 1981 are the only two 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

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1939 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:

1939 NAIA bracket

First Round Second Round Elite Eight NAIA National Semifinals NAIA National Championship
               
- Wayne University (Mich.) 55
- Anderson (Ind.) 26
- Wayne 50
- Glenville State 56
- Glenville State (W.Va.) 49
- Simpson (Iowa) 34
- Glenville State 52
TOP TIER
- St. Ambrose 42
- St. Ambrose (Iowa) 37
- New Mexico Mines 22
- St. Ambrose 42
- Dakota Wesleyan 21
- Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 41
- West Texas State 38
- Glenville State 37
- Southwestern 46
- Southwestern (Kan.) 39
- Eau Claire State (Wisc.) 30
- Southwestern 37
- Westminster 31
- Westminster (Mo.) 33
- Delta State (Miss.) 32
- Southwestern 53
TOP TIER
- Northwest Missouri State 37
- Northwest Missouri State 35
- Wayne State (Neb.) 20
- Northwest Missouri State 30
- Culver-Stockton 24
- Culver-Stockton (Mo.) 53
- Winona State (Minn.) 40
- Southwestern 32
- San Diego State 31
- Central Missouri State 20
- Columbia College (Iowa) 16
- Central Missouri State 32
- Augustana 29
- Augustana (Ill.) 49
- Northwestern State (La.) 43
- Peru State 45
BOTTOM TIER
- Central Missouri State 31
- Trinity (Texas) 44
- Alfred Holbrook (Ohio) 41
- Trinity 42*
- Peru State 48
- Peru State (Neb.) 55
- High Point (N.C.) 46
- Peru State 39
- San Diego State 49
- Murray State (Ky.) 43
- Jordan College (Mich.) 37
- Murray State 39
- Manchester 42
- Central State (Okla.) 50
- Manchester (Ind.) 53
- Manchester 41
BOTTOM TIER
- San Diego State 49
- San Diego State 49
- Northern State (S.D.) 25
- San Diego State 41
- East Texas State 36
- Southwest Missouri State 45
- East Texas State 68

3rd place game

The third place game featured the losing team from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.

NAIA Third Place Game
   
- Glenville State 73
- Peru State 49

References

  1. ↑ NAIA.org
  2. ↑ NAIA Championship History