The 1965 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 28th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] This is the first tournament since 1947 tournament to feature four new teams to the NAIA Semifinals. (It would be the 4th time since 1937 this has happened; previous years were the inaugural year 1937, 1945, and 1947). It was the longest gap up until it was eclipsed by the gap between 1969-2001 which featured 1 or more repeating semi-finalist each year. It was the second time the number one seed has won the tournament.

1965 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Season1964–65
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsCentral State (Ohio) (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upOklahoma Baptist (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Coach of the yearDick Campbell (Carson-Newman (Tenn.))
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
David Kossover (Ouachita Baptist (Ark.))
MVPKen Wilburn (Central State (Ohio))
Top scorerAl Tucker (Oklahoma Baptist)
(125 points)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
«1964 1966»

Awards and honors

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  • Leading scorer: Al Tucker, Oklahoma Baptist; 5 games, 43 field goals, 39 free throws, 125 total points (25.0 average points per game)
  • Leading rebounder: Ken Wilburn, Central State (Ohio); 5 games, 90 total rebounds (18.0 average rebounds per game)
  • Player of the Year: est. 1994
  • All-time leading scorer; first appearance: Al Tucker 2nd, Oklahoma Baptist (1965,66,67); 15 games, 177 field goals, 117 free throws, 471 total points (31.4 points per game).[2]

1965 NAIA bracket

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First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
               
1 Central State (Ohio) 78
- Jacksonville (Fla.) 57
1 Central State (Ohio) 75
16 Midwestern 61
- Valley City State (N.D.) 57
16 Midwestern (Texas) 102
1 Central State (Ohio) 66
TOP TIER
9 Augsburg 57
9 Augsburg College (Minn.) 107
- Central Connecticut State 87
9 Augsburg 66
8 Hastings 65
- Northern Michigan 89*
8 Hastings College (Neb.) 95
1 Central State (Ohio) 91
- Fairmont State 75
5 St. Benedict's (Kan.) 75
- Maryland State 73
5 St. Benedict's 101
- Albany State 74
- Albany State (Ga.) 74
12 Transylvania (Ky.) 57
5 St. Benedict's 87
TOP TIER
- Fairmont State 103
13 Alliance College (Pa.) 86
- Stephen F. Austin (Texas) 61
13 Alliance 69
- Fairmont State 83
- Fairmont State (W. Va.) 94
4 Upper Iowa 90
1 Central State (Ohio) 85
15 Oklahoma Baptist 51
3 Southern-Baton Rouge (La.) 94
- Indiana Tech 77
3 Southern 97
- Eastern Montana 86
- Eastern Montana 63
14 Central Washington State 61
3 Southern 64
BOTTOM TIER
- Ouachita Baptist 65
- Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 83
10 Lincoln (Mo.) 76
- Ouachita Baptist 77
- Lewis 61
7 Mansfield State (Pa.) 74
- Lewis (Ill.) 90
- Ouachita Baptist 53
15 Oklahoma Baptist 66
- California Western 57
6 High Point (N.C.) 79
6 High Point 62
11 Winston-Salem State 78
11 Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 87
- St. Norbert (Wis.) 69
11 Winston-Salem State 62
BOTTOM TIER
15 Oklahoma Baptist 71
15 Oklahoma Baptist 87
- Linfield (Ore.) 84
15 Oklahoma Baptist 95
2 Southwestern Louisiana 82
- Southern Colorado State 59
2 Southwestern Louisiana 66
  •  * denotes overtime.

Third-place game

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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
   
- Fairmont State 71
- Ouachita Baptist 78

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. ^ NAIA Championship History Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine