Teams | 32 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finals site | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | ||||
Champions | Kentucky State (3 title, 3 title game) | ||||
Runner-up | Wisconsin Eau Claire (1 title game, 1 Final Four) | ||||
Semifinalists |
| ||||
Coach of the year | Ken Anderson (Wisconsin-Eau Claire) | ||||
Charles Stevenson Hustle Award | Frank Schade (Wisconsin Eau Claire) | ||||
MVP | Travis Grant (Kentucky State) | ||||
|
The 1972 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 35th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1]
This year was the first and only tournament since seeding began in 1957 that all 4 top seeded teams made it to the national semi-finals. Seeding was changed in 2016, so each bracket is now seeded 1 thru 8. Kentucky State became the second team to win three titles in a row, joining Tennessee State (1957, 1958, 1959).