# 1940 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1940 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 4th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
This year the National College Basketball Tournament (NCBT) changed its name to the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB).
The championship game featured Tarkio beating San Diego State, 52–42. San Diego State became the first team to lose back-to-back title games.

## Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1940 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
* Coach of the Year est. 1954
* Player of the Year est. 1994

## Bracket

| First round | First round | | | Second round | Second round | Elite Eight | Elite Eight | | NAIA national semifinals | NAIA national semifinals | | NAIA national championship | NAIA national championship |
| Kansas Wesleyan | 45 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State Teachers | 33 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State Teachers | 33 | | | Kansas Wesleyan | 50 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Hamline | 61 | | | | | | | | |
| Hamline | 47 | | | Hamline | 61 | | | | | | | | |
| Pacific (OR) | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pacific (OR) | 26 | | | | | Southwestern (KS) | 33 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Southwestern (KS) | 33 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Hamline | 38 | | | | | | |
| Southwestern (KS) | 36 | | | | | | | Hamline | 38 | | | | | | |
| Columbia (IA) | 30 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Columbia (IA) | 30 | | | Southwestern (KS) | 38 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Glenville State | 37 | | | | | | | | |
| Glenville State | 50 | | | Glenville State | 37 | | | | | | | | |
| Wayne State (NE) | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wayne State (NE) | 38 | | | | | | | | Hamline | 34 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Tarkio | 48 | | | |
| SE Oklahoma State | 33 | | | | | | | | | | Tarkio | 48 | | | |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 27 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 27 | | | SE Oklahoma State | 39 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Texas Wesleyan | 40 | | | | | | | | |
| Texas Wesleyan | 40 | | | Texas Wesleyan | 40 | | | | | | | | |
| Central Missouri State | 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Central Missouri State | 36 | | | | | Texas Wesleyan | 25 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Texas Wesleyan | 25 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Tarkio | 37 | | | | | | |
| Tarkio (MO) | 54 | | | | | | | Tarkio | 37 | | | | | | |
| Alfred Holbrook | 37 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Alfred Holbrook | 37 | | | Tarkio | 50 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | West Texas State | 49 | | | | | | | | |
| West Texas State | 60 | | | West Texas State | 49 | | | | | | | | |
| Northern State | 52 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern State | 52 | | | | | | | | | | | Tarkio | 52 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 42 |
| East Texas State | 49 | | | | | | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 42 |
| Ripon | 39 | | | | | | | | | |
| Ripon | 39 | | | East Texas State | 33 | | | | | |
| | | | | Pittsburg State | 55 | | | | | |
| Pittsburg State | 47 | | | Pittsburg State | 55 | | | | | |
| St. Joseph’s (IN) | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Joseph’s (IN) | 26 | | | | | Pittsburg State | 30 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Pittsburg State | 30 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | San Diego State | 32 | | | |
| San Diego State | 36 | | | | | | | San Diego State | 32 | | | | |
| East Central State | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| East Central State | 35 | | | San Diego State | 48 | | | | | |
| | | | | Appalachian State | 46 | | | | | |
| Appalachian State | 43 | | | Appalachian State | 46 | | | | | |
| Bemidji State | 34 | | | | | | | | | |
| Bemidji State | 34 | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 30 |
| | | | | | | | | | Delta State | 28 |
| NW Missouri State | 45 | | | | | | | | | | Delta State | 28 | |
| Simpson | 44 | | | | | | | | | |
| Simpson | 44 | | | NW Missouri State | 43 | | | | | |
| | | | | Peru State | 41 | | | | | |
| Peru State | 49 | | | Peru State | 41 | | | | | | | NAIA Third-place game | NAIA Third-place game |
| Augustana (IL) | 45 | | | | | | | | | |
| Augustana (IL) | 45 | | | | | NW Missouri State | 30 | | | | | Hamline | 26 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | NW Missouri State | 30 | | | | | Hamline | 26 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Delta State | 44 | | | | | Delta State | 45 |
| Superior State | 55 | | | | | | | Delta State | 44 | | | | | Delta State | 45 |
| Upper Iowa | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Upper Iowa | 42 | | | Superior State | 40 | | | | | |
| | | | | Delta State | 57 | | | | | |
| Delta State | 43 | | | Delta State | 57 | | | | | |
| Dakota Wesleyan | 31 | | | | | | | | | |