The 1961 NAIA Men's Division I 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 24th 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 . The championship game featured the 13th seeded Grambling and the 3rd seeded Georgetown. For the first time since seeding, in 1958, the 3rd place game featured the 1st and 2nd seeds, Northern Michigan, and Westminster.

Awards and honors

• Leading scorer: est. 1963
• Leading rebounder: est. 1963
• Player of the Year: est. 1994
• Most tournament appearances: Georgetown (Ky.), 5th of 28, appearances to the NAIA Tournament
• All-time leading scorer; first appearance: Willis Reed, 16th Grambling (La.) (1961,63,64), 12 games 108 field goals 39 free throws 265 total points, 22.8 average per
• All-time leading scorer; second appearance: Hershell West, 15th Grambling (La.) (1960,61,63), 13 games, 116 field goals, 37 free throws, 269 total points, 20.7 average per game.

1961 NAIA bracket

•  * denotes overtime.

3rd place game

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

See also

• 1961 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
  1961 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
  The 1961 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 14, 1961, and ended with the championship game on March 25 in Kansas...
  
  
• 1961 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament
  1961 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament
  The 1961 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as a culmination of the 1960-1 NCAA Division II men's basketball season...
  
  
• 1961 National Invitation Tournament
  1961 National Invitation Tournament
  The 1961 National Invitation Tournament was the 1961 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....