1970 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1970 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 33rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1]

1970 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsKentucky State (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upCentral Washington (1st title game,
3rd Final Four)
Semifinalists
  • Eastern New Mexico (2nd Final Four)
  • Guilford (1st Final Four)
Coach of the yearDean Nicholson (Central Washington)
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
David Allen (Central Washington)
MVPGreg Hyder (Eastern New Mexico)
Top scorerTravis Grant (Kentucky State)
(137 points)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
«19691971»

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 the 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, 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)[2]

1970 NAIA bracket

First roundSecond roundElite EightNAIA national semifinalsNAIA national championship
               
1Stephen F. Austin (TX)100
-South Carolina State86
1Stephen F. Austin74
16Augusta State71
-Monmouth (NJ)64
16Augusta State (GA)85
1Stephen F. Austin94
TOP TIER
-Guilford100
9Eastern Michigan108
-East Central State (Okla.)85
9Eastern Michigan85
8Guilford89
-Wayne State (Neb.)73
8Guilford (N.C.)90
-Guilford90
4Kentucky State108
5Central State (Ohio)69
-St. Thomas (Minn.)60
5Central State (Ohio)83
-Wiley77
-Wiley (Tex.)77
12Drury (Mo.)75
5Central State (Ohio)56
TOP TIER
4Kentucky State66
13Eau Claire State (Wis.)88
-Eastern Montana81
13Eau Claire State65
4Kentucky State73
-Illinois Wesleyan56
4Kentucky State64
4Kentucky State79
3Central Washington State71
3Central Washington State77
-St. Benedict's (Kan.)65
3Central Washington State66
14Wartburg58
-Northern State (S.D.)78
14Wartburg (Iowa)91
3Central Washington State72
BOTTOM TIER
7Jackson State70
11Hanover (Ind.)88
-Arkansas Tech94
-Arkansas Tech81
6Eastern New Mexico84
-Whittier (Calif.)66
6Eastern New Mexico80
3Central Washington State54
6Eastern New Mexico53
7Jackson State (Miss.)89
-Campbell (N.C.)65
7Jackson State90
10Northeast Louisiana83
-Linfield (Ore.)72
10Northeast Louisiana78
6Eastern New Mexico76
BOTTOM TIER
2Maryland State74*
15Morris Harvey (W.Va.)99
-Western New England (Mass.)76
15Morris Harvey78
2Maryland State88
-California State (Pa.)67
2Maryland State101
  •  * 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.

NAIA third-place game
   
-Guilford72*
6Eastern New Mexico77

See also

References