# 1939 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1939 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 3rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This was also the year the NCAA basketball tournament was started.
This tournament also featured the lowest-scoring game in tournament history between Loras College (Iowa) and Central Missouri State University, the two-time champions. Loras scored a total of 16 points, a tournament low as well, Central Missouri State won the game with a total score of 20. The total combined score of the game was 36, resulting in the all-time lowest scoring game in tournament history.
New Mexico A&M and Mississippi College were selected for the tournament, but did not make the trip to Kansas City. They were replaced by Wayne State and Culver-Stockton respectively. Notre Dame had also been given an invite to compete, but because of scheduling conflicts, the Fighting Irish declined.
The championship game featured Southwestern (KS) defeat San Diego State by a score of 32-31. It would be the closest final score until the 1981 tournament which ended in overtime with a score of 86-85. (1939, 1981, and 2016 are the only three years a team has won by one point, to date.)
This year the NAIA awarded the first Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award. The first award went to Edgar Hinshaw of Southwestern College

## Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1939 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
* Fewest points by team; single game: 16, Loras (Iowa) vs. Central Missouri State 20.
* Fewest points in a tournament Game; both teams: 36 total; Central Missouri State vs. Loras (Iowa) (20-16).

## 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 |
| Wayne (MI) | 55 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Anderson (IN) | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Anderson (IN) | 26 | | | Wayne (MI) | 50 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Glenville State | 56 | | | | | | | | |
| Glenville State | 49 | | | Glenville State | 56 | | | | | | | | |
| Simpson | 34 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Simpson | 34 | | | | | Glenville State | 52 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Glenville State | 52 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | St. Ambrose | 42 | | | | | | |
| St. Ambrose | 37 | | | | | | | St. Ambrose | 42 | | | | | | |
| New Mexico Mines | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| New Mexico Mines | 22 | | | St. Ambrose | 42 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Dakota Wesleyan | 21 | | | | | | | | |
| Dakota Wesleyan | 41 | | | Dakota Wesleyan | 21 | | | | | | | | |
| West Texas State | 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| West Texas State | 38 | | | | | | | | Glenville State | 37 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Southwestern (KS) | 46 | | | |
| Southwestern (KS) | 39 | | | | | | | | | | Southwestern (KS) | 46 | | | |
| Eau Claire State | 30 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Eau Claire State | 30 | | | Southwestern (KS) | 37 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Westminster (MO) | 31 | | | | | | | | |
| Westminster (MO) | 33 | | | Westminster (MO) | 31 | | | | | | | | |
| Delta State | 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Delta State | 32 | | | | | Southwestern (KS) | 53 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Southwestern (KS) | 53 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | NW Missouri State | 37 | | | | | | |
| NW Missouri State | 35 | | | | | | | NW Missouri State | 37 | | | | | | |
| Wayne State (NE) | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wayne State (NE) | 20 | | | NW Missouri State | 30 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Culver-Stockton | 24 | | | | | | | | |
| Culver-Stockton | 53 | | | Culver-Stockton | 24 | | | | | | | | |
| Winona State | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Winona State | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | Southwestern (KS) | 32 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 31 |
| Central Missouri State | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 31 |
| Columbia (IA) | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| Columbia (IA) | 16 | | | Central Missouri State | 32 | | | | | |
| | | | | Augustana (IL) | 29 | | | | | |
| Augustana (IL) | 49 | | | Augustana (IL) | 29 | | | | | |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 43 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 43 | | | | | Peru State | 45 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Peru State | 45 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Central Missouri State | 31 | | | |
| Trinity (TX) | 44 | | | | | | | Central Missouri State | 31 | | | | |
| Alfred Holbrook | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| Alfred Holbrook | 41 | | | Trinity (TX) | 42* | | | | | |
| | | | | Peru State | 48 | | | | | |
| Peru State | 55 | | | Peru State | 48 | | | | | |
| High Point | 46 | | | | | | | | | |
| High Point | 46 | | | | | | | | Peru State | 39 |
| | | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 49 |
| Murray State | 43 | | | | | | | | | | San Diego State | 49 | |
| Jordan | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| Jordan | 37 | | | Murray State | 39 | | | | | |
| | | | | Manchester | 42 | | | | | |
| Central State (OK) | 50 | | | Manchester | 42 | | | | | | | NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game |
| Manchester | 53 | | | | | | | | | |
| Manchester | 53 | | | | | Manchester | 41 | | | | | Glenville State | 73 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Manchester | 41 | | | | | Glenville State | 73 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | San Diego State | 49 | | | | | Peru State | 49 |
| San Diego State | 49 | | | | | | | San Diego State | 49 | | | | | Peru State | 49 |
| Northern State | 25 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern State | 25 | | | San Diego State | 41 | | | | | |
| | | | | East Texas State | 36 | | | | | |
| SW Missouri State | 45 | | | East Texas State | 36 | | | | | |
| East Texas State | 68 | | | | | | | | | |
* * denotes overtime.