The 1939 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in

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. The 3rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This was also the year the NCAA basketball tournament was started. This tournament also featured the lowest-scoring game in tournament history between Loras College (Iowa) and

Central Missouri State University The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profes ...

, the two-time champions. Loras scored a total of 16 points, a tournament low as well, Central Missouri State won the game with a total score of 20. The total combined score of the game was 36, resulting in the all-time lowest scoring game in tournament history. The championship game featured Southwestern (KS) defeat

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

by a score of 32-31. It would be the closest final score until the 1981 tournament which ended in overtime with a score of 86-85. (1939, 1981, and

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are the only three years a team has won by one point, to date.) This year the NAIA awarded the first

Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award The Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award was created to honor the most outstanding player for the NAIA Men's Division I National Championship Tournament. Established in 1939, it has been awarded every year with the exception of 1944.

. The first award went to Edgar Hinshaw of Southwestern College

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1939 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 *Coach of the Year est. 1954 *Player of the Year est. 1994 *Fewest points by team; single game: ''16'', Loras (Iowa) vs. Central Missouri State 20. *Fewest points in a tournament Game; both teams: ''36 total''; Central Missouri State vs. Loras (Iowa) (20-16).NAIA Championship History archived via WebCite
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Bracket

* * denotes overtime.

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 Division I basketball tournament

Awards and honors

Bracket

See also

References