# 1965 NAIA basketball tournament

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. 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.

## Awards and honors

* 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).

## 1965 NAIA bracket

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

### Third-place game

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 | NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game |
| - | Fairmont State | 71 |
| - | Ouachita Baptist | 78 |