1943 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1943 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 32 |
| Finals Site |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| Champions |
Southeast Missouri State (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
| Runner-Up |
Northwest Missouri State (1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
| Semifinalists |
North Texas State (1st Final Four) Murray State (Ky.) (3rd Final Four) |
| Chuck Taylor MVP |
Belus Smawley (Appalachian State (N.C.)) |
The 1943 NAIA Division I Men's 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 University defeating Northwest Missouri State University 34 to 32. This was the first tournament to feature a championship game between two teams from the same state, Missouri, playing in Missouri. The 3rd place game featured the first overtime in the NAIA Final Four history when North Texas State University defeated Murray State College 59 to 55 in one overtime.
Many of the records set by the 1943 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:
The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988. This game would be the first 3rd place game to enter into overtime.
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