1970 NAIA basketball tournament

1970 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Season1969–70
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsKentucky State (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upCentral Washington (1st title game,
3rd Final Four)
Semifinalists
  • Eastern New Mexico (2nd Final Four)
  • Guilford (1st Final Four)
Coach of the yearDean Nicholson (Central Washington)
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
David Allen (Central Washington)
MVPGreg Hyder (Eastern New Mexico)
Top scorerTravis Grant (Kentucky State)
(137 points)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
«1969 1971»

The 1970 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 33rd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1]

Kentucky State would win the first of three straight National Championship titles, becoming the second team to win three in a row, and the third team to win three titles.

The 3rd-place game would go into overtime for the second time in tournament history. The 6th seeded Eastern New Mexico State Greyhounds beat the 8th seeded Guilford Quakers 77-72 in one overtime.

Awards and honors

[edit]
  • Leading scorer: Travis Grant, Kentucky State; 5 games, 57 field goals, 23 free throws, 137 total points (27.4 average points per game)
  • Leading rebounder: Elmore Smith, Kentucky State & Greg Hyder, Eastern New Mexico; 5 games, 65 rebounds, (13 average rebounds per game)
  • Player of the Year: est. 1994
  • Most field goals made; career; 223; Travis Grant, Kentucky State, (1970, 71, 72)
  • Most career points; individual: 518, Travis Grant, Kentucky State, (1970, 71, 72)
  • All-time leading scorer; first appearance: Travis Grant, 1st (1970, 71, 72) 15 games, 223 field goals, 72 free throws, 518 points (34.5 average points per game)[2]

1970 NAIA bracket

[edit]
First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
               
1 Stephen F. Austin (TX) 100
- South Carolina State 86
1 Stephen F. Austin 74
16 Augusta State 71
- Monmouth (NJ) 64
16 Augusta State (GA) 85
1 Stephen F. Austin 94
TOP TIER
- Guilford 100
9 Eastern Michigan 108
- East Central State (Okla.) 85
9 Eastern Michigan 85
8 Guilford 89
- Wayne State (Neb.) 73
8 Guilford (N.C.) 90
- Guilford 90
4 Kentucky State 108
5 Central State (Ohio) 69
- St. Thomas (Minn.) 60
5 Central State (Ohio) 83
- Wiley 77
- Wiley (Tex.) 77
12 Drury (Mo.) 75
5 Central State (Ohio) 56
TOP TIER
4 Kentucky State 66
13 Eau Claire State (Wis.) 88
- Eastern Montana 81
13 Eau Claire State 65
4 Kentucky State 73
- Illinois Wesleyan 56
4 Kentucky State 64
4 Kentucky State 79
3 Central Washington State 71
3 Central Washington State 77
- St. Benedict's (Kan.) 65
3 Central Washington State 66
14 Wartburg 58
- Northern State (S.D.) 78
14 Wartburg (Iowa) 91
3 Central Washington State 72
BOTTOM TIER
7 Jackson State 70
11 Hanover (Ind.) 88
- Arkansas Tech 94
- Arkansas Tech 81
6 Eastern New Mexico 84
- Whittier (Calif.) 66
6 Eastern New Mexico 80
3 Central Washington State 54
6 Eastern New Mexico 53
7 Jackson State (Miss.) 89
- Campbell (N.C.) 65
7 Jackson State 90
10 Northeast Louisiana 83
- Linfield (Ore.) 72
10 Northeast Louisiana 78
6 Eastern New Mexico 76
BOTTOM TIER
2 Maryland State 74*
15 Morris Harvey (W.Va.) 99
- Western New England (Mass.) 76
15 Morris Harvey 78
2 Maryland State 88
- California State (Pa.) 67
2 Maryland State 101
  •  * denotes overtime.

Third-place game

[edit]

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
   
- Guilford 72*
6 Eastern New Mexico 77

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  2. ^ NAIA. "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
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