# 1956 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1956 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 19th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. 1956 would be the last tournament with unseeded teams.
The championship game featured McNeese State University and Texas Southern University. It was the first and only appearance for the McNeese State made in the NAIA tournament. The Cowboys beat the Tigers, 60–55.
The third-place game featured Pittsburg State who defeated the Wheaton Thunder, 77–70. This tournament featured six all-time leading scorers.

## Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1956 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
* Top single-game performances: Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma vs State Georgia Southern. Spivey scored 17 field goals 9 free throws, totaling 43 points.
* Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
* All-time leading scorers; first 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; second 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; third 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.

## 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 |
| Western Illinois State | 114 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern New Mexico | 87 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern New Mexico | 87 | | | Western Illinois State | 72 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Pacific Lutheran | 67 | | | | | | | | |
| Pacific Lutheran | 79 | | | Pacific Lutheran | 67 | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State | 64 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State | 64 | | | | | Western Illinois State | 76 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Western Illinois State | 76 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Pittsburg State | 83 | | | | | | |
| Georgia Teachers | 81 | | | | | | | Pittsburg State | 83 | | | | | | |
| Southeastern State (OK) | 78 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Southeastern State (OK) | 78 | | | Georgia Teachers | 72 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Pittsburg State | 99 | | | | | | | | |
| Pittsburg State | 77 | | | Pittsburg State | 99 | | | | | | | | |
| Elon | 55 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Elon | 55 | | | | | | | | Pittsburg State | 72 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | McNeese State | 78 | | | |
| Eau Claire State | 84 | | | | | | | | | | McNeese State | 78 | | | |
| Portland State | 76 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Portland State | 76 | | | Eau Claire State | 61 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Tennessee A&I State | 62 | | | | | | | | |
| Tennessee A&I State | 86 | | | Tennessee A&I State | 62 | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana Central | 63 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana Central | 63 | | | | | Tennessee A&I State | 68 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Tennessee A&I State | 68 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | McNeese State | 76 | | | | | | |
| Central State (OH) | 67 | | | | | | | McNeese State | 76 | | | | | | |
| Montana State | 66 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana State | 66 | | | Central State (OH) | 74 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | McNeese State | 87 | | | | | | | | |
| McNeese State | 88 | | | McNeese State | 87 | | | | | | | | |
| Georgetown (KY) | 65 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Georgetown (KY) | 65 | | | | | | | | | | | McNeese State | 60 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Texas Southern | 55 |
| Wheaton (IL) | 80 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Texas Southern | 55 |
| Kalamazoo (MI) | 60 | | | | | | | | | |
| Kalamazoo (MI) | 60 | | | Wheaton (IL) | 74 | | | | | |
| | | | | Stephen F. Austin | 66 | | | | | |
| Stephen F. Austin | 72 | | | Stephen F. Austin | 66 | | | | | |
| Coe | 64 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coe | 64 | | | | | Wheaton (IL) | 90 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Wheaton (IL) | 90 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Gustavus Adolphus | 73 | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 80 | | | | | | | Gustavus Adolphus | 73 | | | | |
| East Tennessee State | 60 | | | | | | | | | |
| East Tennessee State | 60 | | | Gustavus Adolphus | 69 | | | | | |
| | | | | San Diego State | 60 | | | | | |
| San Diego State | 77 | | | San Diego State | 60 | | | | | |
| Alderson-Broaddus | 64 | | | | | | | | | |
| Alderson-Broaddus | 64 | | | | | | | | Wheaton (IL) | 73 |
| | | | | | | | | | Texas Southern | 82 |
| Texas Southern | 108 | | | | | | | | | | Texas Southern | 82 | |
| Hastings | 81 | | | | | | | | | |
| Hastings | 81 | | | Texas Southern | 64 | | | | | |
| | | | | Rockhurst | 61 | | | | | |
| Rockhurst | 81 | | | Rockhurst | 61 | | | | | | | NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game |
| Rider | 59 | | | | | | | | | |
| Rider | 59 | | | | | Texas Southern | 85 | | | | | Pittsburg State | 77 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Texas Southern | 85 | | | | | Pittsburg State | 77 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Midwestern (TX) | 82 | | | | | Wheaton (IL) | 70 |
| Midwestern (TX) | 87 | | | | | | | Midwestern (TX) | 82 | | | | | Wheaton (IL) | 70 |
| American International | 70 | | | | | | | | | |
| American International | 70 | | | Midwestern (TX) | 93 | | | | | |
| | | | | Geneva | 75 | | | | | |
| Geneva | 74 | | | Geneva | 75 | | | | | |
| Arkansas Tech | 69 | | | | | | | | | |