The 1970 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 33rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. Kentucky State would win the first of three straight National Championship titles, becoming the second team to win three in a row, and the third team to win three titles. The 3rd-place game would go into overtime for second time in tournament history. The 6th seeded Eastern New Mexico State Greyhounds beat the 8th seeded Guilford Quakers 77-72 in one overtime.

Awards and honors

*Leading scorer: ''Travis Grant'', Kentucky State; 5 games, 57 field goals, 23 free throws, 137 total points (27.4 average points per game) *Leading rebounder: ''Elmore Smith'', Kentucky State & ''

Greg Hyder Gregory Peck Hyder (June 21, 1948 – October 1, 2014) was a former professional basketball player who played one season for the Kansas City Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Gregory Peck Hyder was born on June 21, 19 ...

'', Eastern New Mexico; 5 games, 65 rebounds, (13 average rebounds per game) *Player of the Year: est. 1994 *Most field goals made; career; ''223''; Travis Grant, Kentucky State, (1970, 71, 72) *Most career points; individual: ''518'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State, (1970, 71, 72) *All-time leading scorer; first appearance: ''Travis Grant, 1st'' (1970, 71, 72) 15 games, 223 field goals, 72 free throws, 518 points (34.5 average points per game)

1970 NAIA bracket

* * denotes overtime.

Third-place game

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.

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 ...

College basketball tournaments in Missouri Basketball competitions in Kansas City, Missouri

Awards and honors

1970 NAIA bracket

Third-place game

See also

References