2016 | NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament|
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Logo for the 2016 National Championship
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Teams | 32 |
Finals Site |
Keeter Gymnasium Point Lookout, Missouri |
Champions |
Indiana Wesleyan (33-5) (2 title, 2 title game, 2 Final Four) |
Runner-Up |
Saint Francis (IN) (33-5) (3 title game, 3 Final Four) |
Semifinalists |
IU East (IN) (22-14) Davenport (MI) (32-5) |
Attendance | 1,100 |
The 2016 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 25th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured thirty-two teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game was won by the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats of Marion, Indiana over the Saint Francis Cougars of Fort Wayne, Indiana by a score of 69 to 66.
Indiana Wesleyan won their second national championship in three years. This was the fourth meeting of the year between the Crossroads League rivals. Saint Francis won two regular season contests in addition to edging Indiana Wesleyan in the league's year-end tournament. In the NAIA championship, Saint Francis fell behind early, with the first half deficit reaching 13 points. With the lead still six points at half-time, Indiana Wesleyan held off the Cougars to win against the then-#1-team in the nation.
(minimum 4 games)
The 2016 All-America team, headed by Davenport's Dominez Burnett for the second straight year, included many standouts from the tournament.