1955 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1955 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 32 |
| Finals Site |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| Champions |
East Texas State (1st title, 1st title game, 2nd Final Four) |
| Runner-Up |
Southeastern Oklahoma State (2nd title game, 2nd Final Four) |
| Semifinalists |
Western Illinois (2nd Final Four) Arkansas Tech (2nd Final Four) |
| Coach of the Year | Leroy Morley (Western Illinois) |
| Chuck Taylor MVP | Jim Miller (East Texas State) |
The 1955 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 18th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The 1955 tournament was one for the record books. It featured four of the all-time leading scorers, two single-game best tournament performances, and most free throws made in tournament history.
The championship game featured East Texas State University (now Texas A&M-Commerce) and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. East Texas State defeated SEOSU by a score of 71 to 54. The other teams in the NAIA Semifinals were Western Illinois University and Arkansas Tech. The Leathernecks defeated the Wonder Boys for the 3rd place title by a score of 77 to 74.
Many of the records set by the 1955 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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