# 1949 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1949 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 12th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The championship game featured Hamline defeating Regis, 57–46.
Hamline's championship win would make them the first team to win two non-consecutive tournaments (1942, and 1949). Regis, in their first tournament appearance, would finish as the National Runner-Up, but it would be the highest finish Regis would ever see of the 5 tournament appearances. Regis would make it back to the NAIA Semifinals in 1951, only to finish in fourth place.

## Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1949 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
* All-time scoring leader; third appearance: Harold Haskins, 12th, Hamline (Minn.) (1947,48,49,50), 14 games, 104 field goals, 72 free throws, 280 total points, 20.0 average per game.

## 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 |
| Hamline | 76 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State | 43 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State | 43 | | | Hamline | 83 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Indiana Central | 66 | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana Central | 72 | | | Indiana Central | 66 | | | | | | | | |
| Connecticut Teachers | 59 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Connecticut Teachers | 59 | | | | | Hamline | 80 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Hamline | 80 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Texas Tech | 56 | | | | | | |
| Texas Tech | 79 | | | | | | | Texas Tech | 56 | | | | | | |
| Western Montana | 43 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Western Montana | 43 | | | Texas Tech | 62 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | North Dakota | 57 | | | | | | | | |
| North Dakota | 70 | | | North Dakota | 57 | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaii | 53 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaii | 53 | | | | | | | | Hamline | 52 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Beloit | 43 | | | |
| SW Missouri State | 59 | | | | | | | | | | Beloit | 43 | | | |
| Portland | 56 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Portland | 56 | | | SW Missouri State | 47 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Beloit | 66 | | | | | | | | |
| Beloit | 96 | | | Beloit | 66 | | | | | | | | |
| Waynesburg | 56 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Waynesburg | 56 | | | | | Beloit | 65 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Beloit | 65 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Eastern Illinois State | 64 | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois State | 89 | | | | | | | Eastern Illinois State | 64 | | | | | | |
| Miami (FL) | 73 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Miami (FL) | 73 | | | Eastern Illinois State | 81 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | San Jose State | 75 | | | | | | | | |
| San Jose State | 63 | | | San Jose State | 75 | | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence Tech | 52 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence Tech | 52 | | | | | | | | | | | Hamline | 57 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Regis | 46 |
| Loyola Maryland | 79 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Regis | 46 |
| Cedarville | 67 | | | | | | | | | |
| Cedarville | 67 | | | Loyola Maryland | 58 | | | | | |
| | | | | Indiana State | 78 | | | | | |
| Indiana State | 60 | | | Indiana State | 78 | | | | | |
| Eastern New Mexico | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern New Mexico | 42 | | | | | Indiana State | 67 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Indiana State | 67 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Emporia State | 66 | | | |
| Iowa State Teachers | 65 | | | | | | | Emporia State | 66 | | | | |
| River Falls State | 64 | | | | | | | | | |
| River Falls State | 64 | | | Iowa State Teachers | 49 | | | | | |
| | | | | Emporia State | 63 | | | | | |
| Emporia State | 67 | | | Emporia State | 63 | | | | | |
| Delta State | 57 | | | | | | | | | |
| Delta State | 57 | | | | | | | | Indiana State | 45** |
| | | | | | | | | | Regis | 48 |
| Regis | 71 | | | | | | | | | | Regis | 48 | |
| Erskine | 47 | | | | | | | | | |
| Erskine | 47 | | | Regis | 53 | | | | | |
| | | | | St. Thomas (MN) | 52 | | | | | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 74 | | | St. Thomas (MN) | 52 | | | | | | | NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game |
| Peru State | 44 | | | | | | | | | |
| Peru State | 44 | | | | | Regis | 56 | | | | | Beloit | 67 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Regis | 56 | | | | | Beloit | 67 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Northwestern State (LA) | 51 | | | | | Indiana State | 59 |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 70 | | | | | | | Northwestern State (LA) | 51 | | | | | Indiana State | 59 |
| Puget Sound | 58 | | | | | | | | | |
| Puget Sound | 58 | | | Northwestern State (LA) | 59 | | | | | |
| | | | | Brigham Young | 57 | | | | | |
| Brigham Young | 79 | | | Brigham Young | 57 | | | | | |
| Northwestern State (OK) | 50 | | | | | | | | | |
* * denotes each overtime.