The 1961 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at
Municipal Auditorium in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
. The 24th annual
NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game featured the 13th seeded Grambling and the third seeded Georgetown. For the first time since seeding, in 1958, the third-place game featured the first and second seeds, Northern Michigan, and Westminster.
Awards and honors
Many of the records set by the 1961 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:
*Leading scorer: est. 1963
*Leading rebounder: est. 1963
*Player of the Year: est. 1994
*All-time leading scorer; first appearance: ''Willis Reed, 16th'' Grambling (1961,63,64), 12 games 108 field goals 39 free throws 265 total points, 22.8 average per
*All-time leading scorer; second appearance: ''Hershell West, 15th'' Grambling (1960,61,63), 13 games, 116 field goals, 37 free throws, 269 total points, 20.7 average per game.
NAIA Championship History
1961 NAIA bracket
* * denotes overtime.
Third-place game
The third-place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine third and fourth places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.
See also
* 1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
* 1961 NCAA College Division basketball tournament
The 1961 NCAA College Division basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA College Division college basketball as a culmination of the 1960-61 NC ...
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
* NAIA Softball Championship
* NAIA Volleyball Championship
* NAIA World Series
* NAIA Wrestling Championship
* NAIA lacrosse
Other
* 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 ...