1976 NAIA basketball tournament

The 1976 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The 39th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] This was the first tournament since 1969 tournament to feature four new teams to the NAIA semifinals. (It was the 6th time since 1937 this happened; previous years were the inaugural year 1937, 1945, 1947, 1965, 1969).

1976 NAIA men's basketball tournament
Season1975–76
Teams32
Finals siteKemper Arena
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsCoppin State (1 title, 1 title game,
1 Final Four)
Runner-upHenderson State (1 title game,
1 Final Four)
Semifinalists
  • Marymount (KS) (1 Final Four)
  • Lincoln Memorial (1 Final Four)
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
Enos Mitchell (Henderson State)
MVPJoe Pace (Coppin State)
NAIA men's basketball tournament
«1975 1977»

Awards and honors

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  • Leading scorer:
  • Leading rebounder:
  • Player of the Year: est. 1994[2]

1976 NAIA bracket

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First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
               
1 Fairmont State (W.Va.) 58
- Howard Payne (Tex.) 52
1 Fairmont State 75
16 Texas Southern 82
- West Florida 59
16 Texas Southern 81
16 Texas Southern 77
TOP TIER
9 Coppin State 88
9 Coppin State (Md.) 78
- Dowling (N.Y.) 55
9 Coppin State 68
8 Wisconsin-Parkside 67
- Franklin (Ind.) 61
8 Wisconsin-Parkside 74
9 Coppin State 82
4 Marymount 81
5 Pikeville (Ky.) 84
- Alabama-Huntsville 94
- Alabama-Huntsville 70
- Doane 59
- Doane (Neb.) 80
12 Norfolk State (Va.) 79
- Alabama-Huntsville 76
TOP TIER
4 Marymount 78
13 Central Washington State 75
- Briar Cliff (Iowa) 72
4 Marymount 83
13 Central Washington State 72
- Eastern Montana 76
4 Marymount (Kan.) 93
9 Coppin State 96
6 Henderson State 91
3 Alcorn State (Miss.) 79
- Lake Superior State (Mich.) 88'
14 Edinboro State 73
- Lake Superior State 76
- Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) 73
14 Edinboro State (Pa.) 88
- Lake Superior State 61
BOTTOM TIER
6 Henderson State 78
11 Illinois Wesleyan 100
- Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 84
6 Henderson State 68
11 Illinois Wesleyan 66
- Bethany Nazarene (Okla.) 67
6 Henderson State (Ark.) 80
6 Henderson State 80
- Lincoln Memorial 79**
7 Guilford (N.C.) 95
- Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 101
- Lincoln Memorial 107
10 California Baptist 78
- Husson (Maine) 81
10 California Baptist 95
- Lincoln Memorial 75
BOTTOM TIER
15 Newberry 64
15 Newberry (S.C.) 89
- Linfield (Ore.) 86
15 Newberry 65
2 Grand Canyon 58
- Central State (Ohio) 52
2 Grand Canyon (Ariz.) 57
  •  * denotes double overtime.

Third-place game

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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.

NAIA third-place game
   
4 Marymount 78
- Lincoln Memorial 75

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  2. ^ NAIA. "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2009.