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.

1949 NAIA men's basketball tournament

Season	1948–49
Teams	32
Finals site	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	Hamline (2nd title, 2nd title game, 4th Final Four)
Runner-up	Regis (1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Semifinalists	Beloit (1st Final Four) Indiana State (3rd Final Four)
MVP	Hal Haskins (Hamline)
NAIA men's basketball tournament «1948 1950»

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

•  * denotes each overtime.

See also

• 1949 NCAA basketball tournament
• 1949 National Invitation Tournament