2023 NAIA men's basketball tournament explained

Type:NAIA
Year:2023
Gender:Men's
Teams:64
Finalfourarena:Municipal Auditorium
Finalfourcity: Kansas City, Missouri
Champions:College of Idaho Yotes
Titlecount:1st
Runnerup:Indiana Tech Warriors
Gamecount:1st
Semifinal1:Georgetown Tigers
Finalfourcount:16th
Semifinal2:OUAZ Spirit
Finalfourcount2:1st
Coach:Colby Blaine
Coachcount:1st
Mop:Charles Elzie
Mopteam:College of Idaho
Topscorer:Mason Walters
Topscorerteam:Jamestown (ND)
Points:95

The 2023 NAIA men's basketball tournament was the 85th annual tournament held by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics to determine the national champion of men's college basketball among its member programs in the United States and Canada, culminating the 2022–23 NAIA men's basketball season.

College of Idaho defeated Indiana Tech in the championship game, 73–71, to win the Yotes' first NAIA men's national title.

The tournament finals were once again played at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.[1]

Qualification

After two consecutive years of expansion in 2021 and 2022, the tournament remained the same size for 2023, with 64 teams.

The tournament continued to utilize a simple single-elimination format.

The first two preliminary rounds were played on one of sixteen regional campus sites while the four final rounds, including the national championship, were played at the NAIA's long-time final tournament site in Kansas City.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NAIA Men's Basketball Championship History. NAIA. 27 March 2024.