1957 NAIA basketball tournament

1957 NAIA men's basketball tournament

Season	1956–57
Teams	32
Finals site	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	Tennessee State (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Runner-up	Southeastern State (2nd title game, 3rd Final Four)
Semifinalists	Pacific Lutheran (1st Final Four) Eastern Illinois (1st Final Four)
Coach of the year	Bloomer Sullivan (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
MVP	Jim Spivey (Southeastern Oklahoma State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament «1956 1958»

The 1957 NAIA basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 20th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.

This would be the first tournament to have seeded teams. This also means that this is the first tournament to have an 'upset'. The first upset in tournament history was when the 3 seeded West Virginia Tech lost to Villa Madonna, predecessor to today's Thomas More of Kentucky, 93–91. There were three upsets this year, including the championship game. The NAIA seeded teams 21 years prior to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The NAIA would adjust seeding to 16 seed system, in 1959. In 2016 the seeds would be adjust again, each bracket would be ranked 1-8, with the overall number 1 in the Naismith Bracket.

The championship game featured Tennessee State and Southeastern State (OK). With Tennessee State's win, they became the first historically black institution to win a collegiate basketball national championship. This would be the first of three national championship titles for Tennessee State.

The 3rd place game featured Pacific Lutheran defeating Eastern Illinois.

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1957 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
• Player of the Year est. 1994
• Most free throws made; career: 120 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
• Most free throws made; single-game, team: 48, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. Southwest Texas State
• Most free throws made in one tournament; individual: 68 free throws made by Jim Spivey of Southeastern Oklahoma State (1954,55,56,57).
• Most free throws made in one tournament; team: 153, Southeastern Oklahoma State
• Most consecutive tournament victories; record start: 18 overall, 5 in 1957, Tennessee State, 1957-58-59-60
• Top single-game performances: Jim Spivey, 4th, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. Eastern Illinois, 20 field goals, 13 free throws and 53 total points; Jim Spivey 13th, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs Southwest Texas State, 14 field goals, 18 free throws and 46 total points; Jim Spivey 20th, Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee State, 14 field goals 15 free throws and 43 total points.
• All-time leading scorer; first appearance: Charles Sharp, 5th Southwest Texas State (1957,59,60) 12 games, 118 field goals, 69 free throws, 305 total points, 25.4 average per game
• All-time leading scorers; second appearance: Dick Barnett, 3rd, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 18 games, 186 field goals, 79 free throws, 451 total points 25.1 average per game, Charles Curtis, 8th, Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) (1956,57,58,59) 14 games 101 field goals, 85 free throws, 287 total points, 20.5 average per game, Roger Iverson, 20th, Pacific Lutheran (1956,57,58,59) 14 games, 109 field goals, 23 free throws, 241 total points, 17.2 average per game, and John Barnhill, 21st, Tennessee State (1956,57,58,59) 17 games, 104 field goals, 27 free throws, 235 total points, 13.8 average per game.
• All-time leading scorer; third appearance: Bennie Swain, 6th Texas Southern (1955,56,57,58) 15 games, 119 field goals, 64 free throws, 302 total points, 20.1 average per game.
• All-time leading scorer; final appearance: James Spivey, 4th, Southeastern Oklahoma (1954,55,56,57) 13 games, 133 field goals, 120 free throws, 386 total points, 29.7 average per game.

Bracket

	First round					Second round					Elite Eight					NAIA national semifinals					NAIA national championship
	1	Pacific Lutheran	76
		Elon	61
						1	Pacific Lutheran	105
							Stetson	83
		Stetson	100
		Wayne State (NE)	84
											1	Pacific Lutheran	91
	TOP TIER
											8	Texas Southern	72
		Ball State	98
		Troy State	70
							Ball State	72
						8	Texas Southern	97
		New Haven State	66
	8	Texas Southern	67
																1	Pacific Lutheran	70
																	Tennessee State	71
	5	Portland	77
		Austin Peay State	65
						5	Portland	70
							Tennessee State	87
		Tennessee State	87
		Adrian	69
												Tennessee State	90
	TOP TIER
											4	Western Illinois State	88
		William Jewell	70
		Adelphi	69*
							William Jewell	67
						4	Western Illinois State	80
		Southern State	70
	4	Western Illinois State	101
																						Tennessee State	92
																					7	Southeastern State	73
	3	West Virginia Tech	91
		Villa Madonna	93
							Villa Madonna	78
							Eastern Illinois State	110
		Eastern Illinois State	88
		New Mexico Highlands	76
												Eastern Illinois State	88
	BOTTOM TIER
											6	Hamline	83
		Stevens Point State	93
		Millersville State	85
							Stevens Point State	69
						6	Hamline	81
		Wayland Baptist	72
	6	Hamline	75
																	Eastern Illinois State	81
																7	Southeastern State	95
	7	Southeastern State	82
		Northwest Nazarene	58
						7	Southeastern State	98
							Southwest Texas State	78
		Southwest Texas State	104																		NAIA third-place game
		Upper Iowa	71
											7	Southeastern State	69								1	Pacific Lutheran	87
	BOTTOM TIER
											2	Youngstown	65									Eastern Illinois State	85
		Emporia State	82
		Northern State (SD)	66
							Emporia State	74
						2	Youngstown	80
		Westmont	75
	2	Youngstown	81

• denotes overtime

See also

• 1957 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
• 1957 NCAA College Division basketball tournament
• 1957 National Invitation Tournament