# 1948 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1948 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 11th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
The championship game featured Louisville beating Indiana State, 82–70.
The only school to have won national titles in both the NAIA and NCAA Division I is Louisville. Uniquely, Indiana State has finished as the National Runner-up in the NAIA (1946 and 1948), the NCAA Division I (1979) and the NCAA Division II (1968) tournaments. Indiana State won the NAIA in 1950.
The tournament was the first intercollegiate postseason to feature a black student-athlete, Clarence J. Walker of Indiana State under coach John Wooden. Wooden had withdrawn from the 1947 tournament because the NAIB would not allow Walker to play.

## Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1948 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; second 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 |
| Marshall | 72 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Peru State | 53 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Peru State | 53 | | | Marshall | 72* | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | San Jose State | 74 | | | | | | | | |
| San Jose State | 64 | | | San Jose State | 74 | | | | | | | | |
| Iowa State Teachers | 58 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Iowa State Teachers | 58 | | | | | San Jose State | 52 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | San Jose State | 52 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Indiana State | 59 | | | | | | |
| Brigham Young | 66 | | | | | | | Indiana State | 59 | | | | | | |
| Delta State | 61* | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Delta State | 61* | | | Brigham Young | 68 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Indiana State | 82 | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana State | 72 | | | Indiana State | 82 | | | | | | | | |
| St. Francis (PA) | 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Francis (PA) | 40 | | | | | | | | Indiana State | 66 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | Hamline | 65* | | | |
| Southern Illinois | 54 | | | | | | | | | | Hamline | 65* | | | |
| Southern Oregon State | 50 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Southern Oregon State | 50 | | | Southern Illinois | 42 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Manhattan | 52 | | | | | | | | |
| Manhattan | 65 | | | Manhattan | 52 | | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State Teachers | 60 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State Teachers | 60 | | | | | Manhattan | 51 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Manhattan | 51 | | | | | | |
| TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | TOP TIER | Hamline | 60 | | | | | | |
| Gonzaga | 46 | | | | | | | Hamline | 60 | | | | | | |
| Texas Wesleyan | 45 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Texas Wesleyan | 45 | | | Gonzaga | 55 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Hamline | 70 | | | | | | | | |
| Hamline | 85 | | | Hamline | 70 | | | | | | | | |
| Mercer | 41 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mercer | 41 | | | | | | | | | | | Indiana State | 70 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Louisville | 82 |
| Louisville | 63 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Louisville | 82 |
| South Dakota State | 60 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State | 60 | | | Louisville | 82 | | | | | |
| | | | | Emporia State | 66 | | | | | |
| Emporia State | 65 | | | Emporia State | 66 | | | | | |
| Loyola Maryland | 57 | | | | | | | | | |
| Loyola Maryland | 57 | | | | | Louisville | 85 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Louisville | 85 | | | |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Beloit | 76 | | | |
| Lawrence Tech | 76 | | | | | | | Beloit | 76 | | | | |
| Appalachian State | 48 | | | | | | | | | |
| Appalachian State | 48 | | | Lawrence Tech | 62 | | | | | |
| | | | | Beloit | 78 | | | | | |
| Beloit | 84 | | | Beloit | 78 | | | | | |
| East Central State | 60 | | | | | | | | | |
| East Central State | 60 | | | | | | | | Louisville | 56 |
| | | | | | | | | | Xavier | 49 |
| Connecticut Teachers | 63 | | | | | | | | | | Xavier | 49 | |
| Montana | 52 | | | | | | | | | |
| Montana | 52 | | | Connecticut Teachers | 35 | | | | | |
| | | | | Xavier | 57 | | | | | |
| Xavier (OH) | 67 | | | Xavier | 57 | | | | | | | NAIA third-place game | NAIA third-place game |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 43 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern State (LA) | 43 | | | | | Xavier | 63 | | | | | Hamline | 59 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Xavier | 63 | | | | | Hamline | 59 |
| BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | BOTTOM TIER | Mankato State | 50 | | | | | Xavier | 58 |
| Mankato State | 49 | | | | | | | Mankato State | 50 | | | | | Xavier | 58 |
| Denver | 46 | | | | | | | | | |
| Denver | 46 | | | Mankato State | 54 | | | | | |
| | | | | Arizona State-Tempe | 53 | | | | | |
| Arizona State-Tempe | 68 | | | Arizona State-Tempe | 53 | | | | | |
| NE Missouri State | 66 | | | | | | | | | |
* * denotes overtime.