The 1955 NAIA 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 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 (now Texas A&M-Commerce) and
Southeastern Oklahoma State. East Texas State defeated SEOSU, 71–54. The other teams in the NAIA Semifinals were
Western Illinois State and
Arkansas Tech. The Leathernecks defeated the Wonder Boys for the third place title, 77–74.
Awards and honors
Many of the records set by the 1955 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:
*Leading scorer est. 1963
*Leading rebounder est. 1963
*Charles Stevenson Hustle Award est. 1958
*Player of the Year est. 1994
*Most free throws made; single game: ''24'' free throws made by Joe Miller of Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) in a game verses Quincy (Ill.).
*Most free throws made; career: ''120'' free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
*All-time single game performances: ''5th'' Joe Miller of Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) vs. Quincy (Ill.). Miller scored 12 field goals and 24 free throws, totaling 48 points.
*All-time single game performances: ''12th'' Paul Brownlee of Steubenville (Ohio) vs. Southeastern Oklahoma. Brownlee scored 16 field goals and 14 free throws, totaling 46 points.
*All-time scoring leader; first appearance: ''Bennie Swain 6th'', Texas Southern (1955,56,57,58), 15 games, 119 field goals, 64 free throws, totaling 302 points, 20.1 average per game.
*All-time scoring leader; second appearance: ''James Spivey, 4th'' Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57), 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, totaling 386 points, 29.7 average per game.
*All-time scoring leaders; final appearance: ''E.C. O’Neal, 9th'', Arkansas Tech (1952,53,54,55), 13 games, 122 field goals, 43 free throws, totaling 287 points, 22.1 average per game; ''James Miller, 18th'', East Texas State (1953,54,55), 13 games, 103 field goals, 40 free throws, totaling 246 points, 18.9 average per game.
NAIA Championship History
Bracket
* * denotes overtime.
See also
* 1955 NCAA basketball tournament
The 1955 NCAA basketball tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1955, and ended with the championship game on March ...
* 1955 National Invitation Tournament
References
{{NAIA men's basketball tournament
NAIA Men's Basketball Championship
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
NAIA men's basketball tournament
Naia or NAIA may refer to:
Sports
* National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
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* Naia (skeleton), a Pale ...
NAIA men's basketball tournament
Naia or NAIA may refer to:
Sports
* National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
* NAIA Softball Championship
* NAIA Volleyball Championship
* NAIA World Series
* NAIA Wrestling Championship
* NAIA lacrosse
Other
* Naia (skeleton), a Pale ...