The 1939 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

. The 3rd annual NAIA

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . This was also the year the NCAA Basketball tournament was started. This tournament also featured the lowest scoring game in tournament history between Loras College (Iowa)

Loras College

Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...

 and Central Missouri State University

Central Missouri Mules and Jennies

The sports teams at the University of Central Missouri are known as the Mules and Jennies . They participate in the NCAA's Division II and in the MIAA Conference.Men's sports*Baseball*Basketball*Cross country*Football*Golf...

, the two time champions. Loras scored a total of 16 points, a tournament low as well, Central Missouri State won the game with a total score of 20. The total combined score of the game was 36, resulting in the all-time lowest scoring game in tournament history.
The championship game featured Southwestern College (Kan.)

Southwestern College (Kansas)

Southwestern College is a four-year private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Winfield, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1885 and graduated its first class in 1889. In addition to its campus programs, it offers online programs.-Academics:The main campus is a...

 defeat San Diego State

San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball

The San Diego State Aztecs basketball team is the basketball team that represent San Diego State University Aztecs in San Diego, California. The school's team currently competes in the Mountain West Conference, and play their home games in Viejas Arena...

 by a score of 32-31. It would be the closest final score until the 1981 tournament

1981 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1981 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The 44th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format . The championship game featured Bethany Nazarene College and the University of...

 which ended in overtime with a score of 86-85. (1939 and 1981 are the only two years a team has won by one point, to date.)

This year the NAIA awarded the first Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award

NAIA Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player

The Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award was created to honor the most outstanding player for the NAIA Men's Division I National Championship Tournament. Established in 1939, it has been awarded every year with the exception of 1944....

. The first award went to Edgar Hinshaw of Southwestern College

Awards and honors

Many of the records set by the 1939 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
• Coach of the Year est. 1994
• Player of the Year est. 1954
• Fewest points by team; single game: 16, Loras (Iowa) vs. Central Missouri State 20.
• Fewest points in a tournament Game; both teams: 36 total; Central Missouri State vs. Loras (Iowa) (20-16).

1939 NAIA bracket

•  * denotes overtime.

3rd place game

The third place game featured the losing team from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.