1973 NAIA basketball tournament

1973 NAIA men's basketball tournament

Teams	32
Finals site	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	Guilford (2 title, 1 title game)
Runner-up	Maryland Eastern Shore (2 title game)
Semifinalists	Augustana (IL) (1 Final Four) Slippery Rock (1 Final Four)
Charles Stevenson Hustle Award	David Hudson (Slippery Rock)
MVP	Lloyd Free (Guilford)
NAIA men's basketball tournament «1972 1974»

The 1973 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 36th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. Valdosta State ended (3) Kentucky State's run to get 4 championship in a row by upsetting (3) Kentucky State in the first round by 9.

Awards and honors

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

1973 NAIA bracket

	First round					Second round					Elite Eight					NAIA national semifinals					NAIA national championship
	1	Sam Houston State (Tex.)	88
	-	Wartburg (Iowa)	62
						1	Sam Houston State	60
						-	Xavier	67
	-	Xavier (La.)	81
	-	Marist (N.Y.)	65
											-	Xavier	80
	TOP TIER
											8	Maryland-Eastern Shore	87
	-	Ferris State (Mich.)	78
	-	Pembroke State (N.C.)	56
						-	Ferris State	90
						8	Maryland-Eastern Shore	95
	-	Eastern Montana	107
	8	Maryland-Eastern Shore	114
																8	Maryland-Eastern Shore	113
																-	Slippery Rock State	82
	5	Marymount (Kan.)	73
	-	Slippery Rock State (Pa.)	74
						-	Slippery Rock State	104
						-	Quinnipiac	75
	-	Quinnipiac (Conn.)	79
	-	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	66
											-	Slippery Rock State	60
	TOP TIER
											4	Wisconsin-Green Bay	58
	-	South Carolina State	82
	-	Hastings (Neb.)	71
						-	South Carolina State	55
						4	Wisconsin-Green Bay	72
	-	Dallas Baptist (Tex.)	66
	4	Wisconsin-Green Bay	77
																					8	Maryland-Eastern Shore	96
																					-	Guilford	99
	3	Kentucky State	81
	-	Valdosta State (Ga.)	90
						-	Valdosta State	81
						-	Guilford	98
	-	Guilford (N.C.)	92
	-	Keene State (N.H.)	82
											-	Guilford	70
	BOTTOM TIER
											-	Westmont	67
	-	Westmont (Calif.)	85
	-	South Dakota Tech	66
						-	Westmont	86
						-	Missouri Southern State	70
	-	Missouri Southern State	70
	6	Fairmont State (W.Va.)	63
																-	Guilford	77
																2	Augustana	69
	7	Alcorn A&M (Miss.)	76
	-	Oklahoma Baptist	79
						-	Oklahoma Baptist	82
						-	Winona State	72
	-	Winona State (Minn.)	70
	-	Grand Canyon (Ariz.)	64
											-	Oklahoma Baptist	46
	BOTTOM TIER
											2	Augustana	63
	-	Defiance (Ohio)	82
	-	George Fox (Ore.)	62
						-	Defiance	61
						2	Augustana	64
	-	Hanover (Ind.)	65
	2	Augustana (Ill.)	66

Third-place game

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

	NAIA third-place game
	-	Slippery Rock State	93
	2	Augustana	96

See also

• 1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
• 1973 NCAA College Division basketball tournament