The 1972 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at
Municipal Auditorium in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
. The 35th annual
NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
This year was the first and only tournament since seeding began in 1957 that all four top seeded teams made it to the national semi-finals. Seeding was changed in
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, so each bracket is now seeded 1 through 8.
Kentucky State became the second team to win three titles in a row, joining
Tennessee State (
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
,
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
,
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
).
Awards and honors
*Leading scorer: ''Travis Grant'', Kentucky State
*Leading rebounder: ''Mike Ratliff'', Wisconsin-Eau Claire 81 rebounds in 5 games.
*Player of the year: est. 1994
*Most points single game: ''60'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State vs. Minot State (N.D.)
*Most points single tournament: ''213'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State
*Most points, career: ''518'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State, 1970-71-72
*Most field goals made, game: ''27'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State vs. Minot State (N.D.)
*Most field goals made, tournament: ''89'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State
*Most field goals made, career: ''223'', Travis Grant, Kentucky State, 1970-71-72
1972 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
*
1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
The 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA University Division (now Division I) college basketball. It began on Saturday, March 11, ...
*
1972 NCAA College Division basketball 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 concen ...
NAIA men's basketball tournament
NAIA men's basketball tournament
College basketball tournaments in Missouri
Basketball competitions in Kansas City, Missouri