1947 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1947 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 32 |
| Finals Site |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| Champions |
Marshall (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
| Runner-Up |
Mankato State (1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
| Semifinalists |
Arizona State-Flagstaff (1st Final Four) Emporia State (1st Final Four) |
| Chuck Taylor MVP | Irvin Leifer (Eastern Washington) |
The 1947 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 10th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. It would be the first time since 1945 the NAIA Semifinalist would feature four new teams. Becoming the 3rd tournament to do so, and a feat that would not be repeated until 1965.
The championship game featured Marshall University (W. Va.) defeating Mankato State (Minn.) by a score of 73 to 59. The third place game featured Arizona State-Flagstaff, now Northern Arizona University, defeating Emporia State University by a score of 47 to 38.
1947 kicks off the "golden age" of NAIA National Tournaments. Harold Haskins became the first of 16 all-time leading scorers.
Many of the records set by the 1947 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.
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