1954 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1954 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 17th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.

1954 NAIA men's basketball tournament

Season	1953–54
Teams	32
Finals site	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	St. Benedict's (KS) (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Runner-up	Western Illinois (1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Semifinalists	Southwest Missouri State (3rd Final Four) Arkansas Tech (1st Final Four)
Coach of the year	Sam Hindsman (Arkansas Tech)
MVP	Jerry Anderson (Southwest Missouri State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament «1953 1955»

The Southwest Missouri State Bears were out to claim an unprecedented three straight national title, but Western Illinois handed them an upset in the National Semifinals, forcing the Bears to settle for third place. The teams that played in the national championship game, were Western Illinois, and St. Benedict's (KS). St. Benedict's would defeat Western Illinois, 62–56. It was the first time these two teams had played in tournament history, and it was the first time two new teams met in the championship game since 1947.

Southwest Missouri State, now Missouri State, and the previous two time champion would settle for a third place victory over Arkansas Tech 75–61.

The 1954 tournament would see the beginning of one of the best players the NAIA had ever seen. Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma would begin his journey to most all time free throws made, and 4th on the all-time scoring list. It would also be the first year for the awarding of the Coach of the Year Award. This award goes to the best coach in the NAIA over the past year, which is not necessarily the tournament winning coach. The first award went to Sam Hindsman of Arkansas Tech.

The Georgetown Tigers make their first NAIA appearance. It would become a tournament record for most tournament appearances in 1974 with twelve, and in the 1990s would start a twenty-six year consecutive appearance streak, a tournament record.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1954 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
• Player of the Year est. 1994
• Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57). In 1954, Spivey began his four-year trek to tournament record.
• Most tournament appearances: Georgetown (Ky.) 1954 would be the first of 36, as of 2017, appearances to the NAIA Tournament
• All-time scoring leader; first appearance: James Spivey, 4th Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57), 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, totaling 386 points, 29.7 average per game.
• All-time scoring leader; second appearance: James Miller, 18th, East Texas State (1953,54,55), 13 games, 103 field goals, 40 free throws, totaling 246 points, 18.9 average per game.
• All-time scoring leader; third appearance: E.C. O’Neal, 9th, Arkansas Tech (1952,53,54,55), 13 games, 122 field goals, 43 free throws, totaling 287 points, 22.1 average per game.

Bracket

	First round				Second round				Elite Eight				NAIA national semifinals				NAIA national championship
	SW Missouri State	77
	East Tennessee State	72
					SW Missouri State	66
					Gustavus Adolphus	57
	Gustavus Adolphus	104
	Mississippi Southern	64
									SW Missouri State	65
	TOP TIER
									East Texas State	59*
	East Texas State	72
	Portland	59
					East Texas State	79
					Geneva	52
	Geneva	88
	Indiana State	82
													SW Missouri State	75
													Western Illinois State	78
	Rio Grande	90
	Arizona State-Flagstaff	74
					Western Illinois State	79
					Southeastern State	74*
	Southeastern State (OK)	77
	Georgetown (KY)	76
									Western Illinois State	84
	TOP TIER
									Southeastern Louisiana	79*
	Southeastern Louisiana	68
	Montana State	62
					Southeastern Louisiana	78
					Rio Grande	65
	Western Illinois State	84
	Morris Harvey	68
																	Western Illinois State	56
																	St. Benedict's	62
	St. Peter's (NJ)	76
	Wayland	63
					St. Peter's	63
					Regis	58
	Regis	61
	Tennessee A&I State	58
									Arkansas Tech	81
	BOTTOM TIER
									St. Peter's	77
	Arkansas Tech	100
	Mercer	72
					Arkansas Tech	85
					Lawrence Tech	72
	Lawrence Tech	75
	Carroll (WI)	70
													Arkansas Tech	59
													St. Benedict's	63
	St. Benedict's (KS)	68
	East Carolina	61
					St. Benedict's	74
					St. Ambrose	50
	St. Ambrose	77															NAIA third-place game
	North Dakota	70
									Pasadena	61							SW Missouri State	75
	BOTTOM TIER
									St. Benedict's	62							Arkansas Tech	61
	Nebraska Wesleyan	58
	Whitworth	54*
					Pasadena	81
					Nebraska Wesleyan	74
	Pasadena	79
	Bridgeport	60

•  * denotes overtime.

See also

• 1954 NCAA basketball tournament
• 1954 National Invitation Tournament