The 1955 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 18th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1]

1955 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Season1954–55
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsEast Texas State (1st title, 1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Runner-upSoutheastern State (OK) (2nd title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Coach of the yearLeroy Morley (Western Illinois)
MVPJim Miller (East Texas State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
«1954 1956»

The 1955 tournament featured four of the all-time leading scorers, two single-game best tournament performances, and most free throws made in tournament history.

The championship game featured East Texas State (now Texas A&M-Commerce) and Southeastern Oklahoma State. East Texas State defeated SEOSU, 71–54. The other teams in the NAIA Semifinals were Western Illinois State and Arkansas Tech. The Leathernecks defeated the Wonder Boys for the third place title, 77–74.

Awards and honors

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Many of the records set by the 1955 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; single game: 24 free throws made by Joe Miller of Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) in a game verses Quincy (Ill.).
  • Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
  • All-time single game performances: 5th Joe Miller of Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) vs. Quincy (Ill.). Miller scored 12 field goals and 24 free throws, totaling 48 points.
  • All-time single game performances: 12th Paul Brownlee of Steubenville (Ohio) vs. Southeastern Oklahoma. Brownlee scored 16 field goals and 14 free throws, totaling 46 points.
  • All-time scoring leader; first appearance: Bennie Swain 6th, Texas Southern (1955,56,57,58), 15 games, 119 field goals, 64 free throws, totaling 302 points, 20.1 average per game.
  • All-time scoring leader; second 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 leaders; final 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; 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.[2]

Bracket

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First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
          
Western Illinois State 76
Regis 60
Western Illinois State 86
NE Missouri State 85
NE Missouri State 82
Georgetown (KY) 70
Western Illinois State 50
TOP TIER
Gustavus Adolphus 49
Texas Southern 102
Adrian 83
Texas Southern 55
Gustavus Adolphus 67
Gustavus Adolphus 78
Wayland 58
Western Illinois State 61
Southeastern State 68
Steubenville 79
Mississippi Southern 62
Steubenville 90
Louisiana Tech 65
Louisiana Tech 94
Coe 65
Southeastern State 96
TOP TIER
Steubenville 77
Southeastern State (OK) 120
Middle Tennessee State 67
Southeastern State 106
Nebraska Wesleyan 69
Nebraska Wesleyan 86
Geneva 80*
Southeastern State 54
East Texas State 71
Southwestern (KS) 83
Loyola Los Angeles 79
Southwestern (KS) 78
East Texas State 94
East Texas State 68
Portland State 55
East Texas State 66
BOTTOM TIER
Beloit 57
Florida State 93
Montana State 84
Florida State 88
Beloit 110
Beloit 88
Whitworth 75
East Texas State 81
Arkansas Tech 66
Quincy 84
St. Francis (NY) 82
Quincy 84
Alderson–Broaddus 88
Alderson–Broaddus 100 NAIA third-place game
Minot State 72
Arkansas Tech 93 Western Illinois State 77
BOTTOM TIER
Alderson–Broaddus 74 Arkansas Tech 74
Arkansas Tech 96
New Haven State 71
Arkansas Tech 93
Atlantic Christian 74
Atlantic Christian 95
Evansville 88
  •  * denotes overtime.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  2. ^ NAIA Championship History Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine