1957 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1957 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 20th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1]

1957 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Season1956–57
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsTennessee State (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upSoutheastern State (2nd title game,
3rd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Coach of the yearBloomer Sullivan (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
MVPJim Spivey (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
«1956 1958»

This would be the first tournament to have seeded teams. This also means that this is the first tournament to have an 'upset'. The first upset in tournament history was when the 3 seeded West Virginia Tech lost to Villa Madonna, predecessor to today's Thomas More of Kentucky, 93–91. There were three upsets this year, including the championship game. The NAIA seeded teams 21 years prior to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The NAIA would adjust seeding to 16 seed system, in 1959. In 2016 the seeds would be adjust again, each bracket would be ranked 1-8, with the overall number 1 in the Naismith Bracket.

The championship game featured Tennessee State and Southeastern State (OK). With Tennessee State's win, they became the first historically black institution to win a collegiate basketball national championship.[2] This would be the first of three national championship titles for Tennessee State.

The 3rd place game featured Pacific Lutheran defeating Eastern Illinois.

Awards and honors

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Many of the records set by the 1957 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).
  • Most free throws made; single-game, team: 48, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. Southwest Texas State
  • Most free throws made in one tournament; individual: 68 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
  • Most free throws made in one tournament; team: 153, Southeastern Oklahoma State
  • Most consecutive tournament victories; record start: 18 overall, 5 in 1957, Tennessee State, 1957-58-59-60
  • Top single-game performances: Jim Spivey, 4th, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. Eastern Illinois, 20 field goals, 13 free throws and 53 total points; Jim Spivey 13th, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs Southwest Texas State, 14 field goals, 18 free throws and 46 total points; Jim Spivey 20th, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee State, 14 field goals 15 free throws and 43 total points.
  • All-time leading scorer; first appearance: Charles Sharp, 5th Southwest Texas State (1957,59,60) 12 games, 118 field goals, 69 free throws, 305 total points, 25.4 average per game
  • All-time leading scorers; second appearance: Dick Barnett, 3rd, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 18 games, 186 field goals, 79 free throws, 451 total points 25.1 average per game, Charles Curtis, 8th, Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) (1956,57,58,59) 14 games 101 field goals, 85 free throws, 287 total points, 20.5 average per game, Roger Iverson, 20th, Pacific Lutheran (1956,57,58,59) 14 games, 109 field goals, 23 free throws, 241 total points, 17.2 average per game, and John Barnhill, 21st, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 17 games, 104 field goals, 27 free throws, 235 total points, 13.8 average per game.
  • All-time leading scorer; third appearance: Bennie Swain, 6th Texas Southern (1955,56,57,58) 15 games, 119 field goals, 64 free throws, 302 total points, 20.1 average per game.
  • All-time leading scorer; final appearance: James Spivey, 4th, Southeastern Oklahoma (1954,55,56,57) 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, 386 total points, 29.7 average per game.[3]

Bracket

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First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
               
1 Pacific Lutheran 76
Elon 61
1 Pacific Lutheran 105
Stetson 83
Stetson 100
Wayne State (NE) 84
1 Pacific Lutheran 91
TOP TIER
8 Texas Southern 72
Ball State 98
Troy State 70
Ball State 72
8 Texas Southern 97
New Haven State 66
8 Texas Southern 67
1 Pacific Lutheran 70
Tennessee State 71
5 Portland 77
Austin Peay State 65
5 Portland 70
Tennessee State 87
Tennessee State 87
Adrian 69
Tennessee State 90
TOP TIER
4 Western Illinois State 88
William Jewell 70
Adelphi 69*
William Jewell 67
4 Western Illinois State 80
Southern State 70
4 Western Illinois State 101
Tennessee State 92
7 Southeastern State 73
3 West Virginia Tech 91
Villa Madonna 93
Villa Madonna 78
Eastern Illinois State 110
Eastern Illinois State 88
New Mexico Highlands 76
Eastern Illinois State 88
BOTTOM TIER
6 Hamline 83
Stevens Point State 93
Millersville State 85
Stevens Point State 69
6 Hamline 81
Wayland Baptist 72
6 Hamline 75
Eastern Illinois State 81
7 Southeastern State 95
7 Southeastern State 82
Northwest Nazarene 58
7 Southeastern State 98
Southwest Texas State 78
Southwest Texas State 104 NAIA third-place game
Upper Iowa 71
7 Southeastern State 69 1 Pacific Lutheran 87
BOTTOM TIER
2 Youngstown 65 Eastern Illinois State 85
Emporia State 82
Northern State (SD) 66
Emporia State 74
2 Youngstown 80
Westmont 75
2 Youngstown 81
  • 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 History Archived November 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ NAIA Championship History Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine