1948 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1948 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 11th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.

1948 NAIA men's basketball tournament

Teams	32
Finals site	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	Louisville (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Runner-up	Indiana State (2nd title game, 2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists	Hamline (3rd Final Four) Xavier (1st Final Four)
MVP	Duane Klueh (Indiana State)
Top scorer	Duane Klueh (Indiana State) (96 points)
NAIA men's basketball tournament «1947 1949»

The championship game featured Louisville beating Indiana State, 82–70.

The only school to have won national titles in both the NAIA and NCAA Division I is Louisville. Uniquely, Indiana State has finished as the National Runner-up in the NAIA (1946 and 1948), the NCAA Division I (1979) and the NCAA Division II (1968) tournaments. Indiana State won the NAIA in 1950.

The tournament was the first intercollegiate postseason to feature a black student-athlete, Clarence J. Walker of Indiana State under coach John Wooden. Wooden had withdrawn from the 1947 tournament because the NAIB would not allow Walker to play.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1948 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
• All-time scoring leader; second appearance: Harold Haskins, 12th, Hamline (Minn.) (1947,48,49,50), 14 games, 104 field goals, 72 free throws, 280 total points, 20.0 average per game.

Bracket

	First round				Second round				Elite Eight				NAIA national semifinals				NAIA national championship
	Marshall	72
	Peru State	53
					Marshall	72*
					San Jose State	74
	San Jose State	64
	Iowa State Teachers	58
									San Jose State	52
	TOP TIER
									Indiana State	59
	Brigham Young	66
	Delta State	61*
					Brigham Young	68
					Indiana State	82
	Indiana State	72
	St. Francis (PA)	40
													Indiana State	66
													Hamline	65*
	Southern Illinois	54
	Southern Oregon State	50
					Southern Illinois	42
					Manhattan	52
	Manhattan	65
	Arkansas State Teachers	60
									Manhattan	51
	TOP TIER
									Hamline	60
	Gonzaga	46
	Texas Wesleyan	45
					Gonzaga	55
					Hamline	70
	Hamline	85
	Mercer	41
																	Indiana State	70
																	Louisville	82
	Louisville	63
	South Dakota State	60
					Louisville	82
					Emporia State	66
	Emporia State	65
	Loyola Maryland	57
									Louisville	85
	BOTTOM TIER
									Beloit	76
	Lawrence Tech	76
	Appalachian State	48
					Lawrence Tech	62
					Beloit	78
	Beloit	84
	East Central State	60
													Louisville	56
													Xavier	49
	Connecticut Teachers	63
	Montana	52
					Connecticut Teachers	35
					Xavier	57
	Xavier (OH)	67															NAIA third-place game
	Northwestern State (LA)	43
									Xavier	63							Hamline	59
	BOTTOM TIER
									Mankato State	50							Xavier	58
	Mankato State	49
	Denver	46
					Mankato State	54
					Arizona State-Tempe	53
	Arizona State-Tempe	68
	NE Missouri State	66

•  * denotes overtime.

See also

• 1948 NCAA basketball tournament
• 1948 National Invitation Tournament