| Season | 1962–63 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 32 | ||||
| Finals site | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | ||||
| Champions | Pan American (Texas) (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Western Carolina (N.C.) (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Coach of the year | Fred Hodby (Grambling (La.)) | ||||
Charles Stevenson Hustle Award | Gil Luttrell (Carson–Newman (Tenn.)) | ||||
| MVP | Lucious Jackson (Pan American (Texas)) | ||||
| Top scorers | Mel Gibson (Western Carolina) Willis Reed (Grambling (La.)) (137 points) | ||||
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The 1963 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held March 11–16 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 26th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] This tournament did not feature any games going into overtime. This was the first tournament to feature a Leading Scorer, and Leading Rebounder awards. They were presented to Mel Gibson, Willis Reed and Lucious Jackson respectively. In the inaugural year of the Leading Scorer award, there was a tie. This would not happen again until 1981.