NAIA Division II men's basketball championship explained

Sport:College basketball
Founded:1992
Folded:2020
Teams:20 (1992–93)
24 (1994)
32 (1995–2019)
Venue:Stephenville, Texas
Nampa, Idaho
Point Lookout, Missouri
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Most Champs:Bethel (IN) (3)
Cornerstone (3)
Indiana Wesleyan (3)
Oregon Tech (3)

The NAIA Division II men's basketball championship is the former tournament held by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to determine the national champion of men's college basketball among its Division II members in the United States and Canada. The tournament was held annually from 1992 to 2019, after which the NAIA consolidated its two divisions, returning to the single national championship for men's and women's basketball that it held between the event's establishment in 1937 and the division split in 1992.[1]

Over its twenty-eight year history, the tournament was played in four different cities and at five different venues. Unlike the NCAA's annual basketball tournaments, where games are played at an assortment of regional sites over the course of several weeks, all NAIA tournament games were played at a single, centralized arena.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Bethel (IN), Cornerstone, Indiana Wesleyan, and Oregon Tech won the most NAIA Division II national titles, with three each.

Results

style= colspan=9NAIA Division II men's basketball championship
Year ArenaLocationChampionshipSemifinalists
ChampionScoreRunner-up
1992
Details
Stephenville, TexasGrace 85–79 (OT) Northwestern (IA)Concordia (NE) & Dakota State
1993
Details
Nampa, IdahoWillamette 63–56 Northern State (SD)Northwest Nazarene & William Jewell
1994
Details
Eureka98–95 (OT) Northern State (SD)Lewis & Clark & Northwest Nazarene
1995
Details
Bethel (IN)103–95 (OT) Northwest NazareneNorthern State & William Jewell
1996
Details
Albertson81–72 (OT) WhitworthWalsh & William Jewell
1997
Details
Bethel (IN) (2) 95–94 Tabor & William Jewell
1998
Details
Idaho CenterBethel (IN) (3) 89–87 Oregon TechMount Marty & Northwest Nazarene
1999
Details
Cornerstone 113–109 Bethel (IN)Berea & Mount Senario
2000
Details
Point Lookout, MissouriEmbry–Riddle (FL)75–63 College of the OzarksHuntington & Siena Heights
2001
Details
Northwestern (IA) 82–78 MidAmerica NazareneCornerstone & Rio Grande
2002
Details
Evangel 84–61 Robert Morris (IL)Cornerstone & Northwestern (IA)
2003
Details
Northwestern (IA) (2) 77–57 Bethany (KS)Cornerstone & Warner Southern
2004
Details
Oregon Tech 81–72 Bellevue
2005
Details
Walsh 81–70 Concordia (NE)Cedarville & Oregon Tech
2006
Details
College of the Ozarks 74–56 HuntingtonLindenwood & MidAmerica Nazarene
2007
Details
MidAmerica Nazarene 78–60 Northwest & Northwestern (IA)
2008
Details
Oregon Tech (2)63–56 BellevueMidAmerican Nazarene & Northwestern (IA)
2009
Details
Oklahoma Wesleyan 60–53 College of the Ozarks Bethel (IN) & Black Hills State
2010
Details
Saint Francis (IN) 67–66 WalshBellevue & Oklahoma Wesleyan
2011
Details
Cornerstone (2) 80–71 Saint Francis (IN)College of the Ozarks & Northwood
2012
Details
Oregon Tech (3) 63–46 NorthwoodDavenport & McPherson
2013
Details
Cardinal Stritch 73–59 William PennIndiana–Southeast & Grace
2014
Details
Indiana Wesleyan 78–68 MidlandRobert Morris (IL) & Southeastern (FL)
2015
Details
Cornerstone (3) 66–45 Dakota WesleyanDavenport & Embry-Riddle (FL)
2016
Details
Indiana Wesleyan (2) 69–66 Saint Francis (IN)Indiana–East & Warner
2017
Details
Union (KY) 72–69 CornerstoneBellevue & Indiana Wesleyan
2018
Details
Sioux Falls, South DakotaIndiana Wesleyan (3) 84–71Saint Francis (IN)Indiana–East & College of Idaho
2019
Details
Spring Arbor 82–76 Oregon TechCollege of Idaho & Marian
2020
Details
No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Champions

SchoolFinals
record
Finals
appearances
class=unsortable Years
Indiana Wesleyan3–032014, 2016, 2018
Cornerstone3–141999, 2011, 2015
Oregon Tech3–252004, 2008, 2012
Bethel (IN)3–141995, 1997, 1998
Northwestern (IA)2–132001, 2003
Spring Arbor1–012019
Union (KY)1–012017
Cardinal Stritch1–012013
Saint Francis (IN)1–342010
Oklahoma Wesleyan1–012009
MidAmerica Nazarene1–122007
College of the Ozarks1–232006
Walsh1–122005
Evangel1–012002
Embry–Riddle1–012000
College of Idaho1–011996
Eureka1–011994
Willamette1–011993
Grace1–011992

See also

Notes and References

  1. NAIA to Combine Basketball Divisions . NAIA . April 16, 2018 . April 20, 2018.
  2. Web site: NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship History. NAIA. 14 April 2022.
  3. https://www.naia.org/sports/mbkb2/2018-19/files/DIIMBB_Championship.pdf NAIA Men's Division II Championship History
  4. News: Anthem protest policy moves NAIA basketball tournament away from College of the Ozarks. Springfield News-Leader. October 27, 2017. January 19, 2018.
  5. News: NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship Awarded to Sioux Falls, S.D.. NAIA. November 17, 2017. January 19, 2018.