1950 NAIA basketball tournament

1950 NAIA men's basketball tournament

Season	1949–50
Teams	32
Finals site	Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	Indiana State (1st title, 3rd title game, 4th Final Four)
Runner-up	East Central State (1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Semifinalists	Central Methodist (1st Final Four) Tampa (1st Final Four)
MVP	Clemens "Lenny" Rzeszewski (Indiana State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament «1949 1951»

The 1950 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 13th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.

The championship game featured Indiana State and East Central State. It was the first time these two teams had met in the tournament history. The Sycamores defeated the Tigers, 61-57.

This would be Indiana State's highest finish in their 12 career appearances in the NAIA tournament. Winning the championship puts them in a unique group to place 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Also Indiana State finally gets a win after 2 times as runner-up. 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.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1950 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
• All-Tournament Team: Len Rzeszewski, Dan Dimich, Don McDonald - Indiana State; Stacey Howell, Claude Overton - East Central (Okla)
• Coach of the Year est. 1954
• Player of the Year est. 1994
• All-time scoring leaders; first appearance: Lloyd Thorgaard, 10th, Hamline (Minn.) (1950,51,52,53), 15 games, 111 field goals, 61 free throws, 283 total points, 18.9 average per game; James Fritsche, 14th, Hamline (Minn.) (1950,51,52,53), 15 games, 113 field goals, 46 free throws, 272 total points, 18.1 average per game.
• All-time scoring leader; final 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				Second round				Elite Eight				NAIA national semifinals				NAIA national championship
	Hamline	74
	Regis	66
					Hamline	66
					Central College	76
	Central (MO)	68
	Peru State	59
									Central College	65
	TOP TIER
									Central Washington State	55
	Portland	48
	Montana	47
					Portland	43
					Central Washington State	51
	Central Washington State	61
	Murray State	55
													Central College	54
													East Central State	57
	Brooklyn	79
	Appalachian State	75
					Brooklyn	64
					Puget Sound	47
	Puget Sound	70
	Southeastern Louisiana	68*
									Brooklyn	52
	TOP TIER
									East Central State	84
	East Central State (OK)	70
	Kansas Wesleyan	68
					East Central State	75
					River Falls State	64
	River Falls State)	80
	Eastern Illinois State	68
																	East Central State	57
																	Indiana State	61
	Westminster (PA)	70
	Connecticut Teachers	62
					Westminster	75
					Davis & Elkins	85
	Davis & Elkins	79
	St. Thomas (MN)	55
									Davis & Elkins	69
	BOTTOM TIER
									Tampa	81
	Tampa	85
	New Mexico A&M	75
					Tampa	69
					Pepperdine	61
	Pepperdine	54
	American	53
													Tampa	69
													Indiana State	73
	East Texas State	55
	South Dakota	54
					East Texas State	62
					Baldwin-Wallace	82
	Baldwin-Wallace	84															NAIA third-place game
	Kalamazoo	83
									Baldwin-Wallace	39							Central College	80
	BOTTOM TIER
									Indiana State	61							Tampa	67
	Arkansas Tech	75
	Morningside	74
					Arkansas Tech	79
					Indiana State	87
	Indiana State	65
	Delta State	59

•  *  Denotes overtime.

See also

• 1950 NCAA basketball tournament
• 1950 National Invitation Tournament