2002 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament

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2002 (2002) NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
Teams32
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsUSAO (1st title)
Runner-upOklahoma Baptist (6th title game)
Semifinalists
Coach of the yearHarry Statham (McKendree)
Player of the yearDuJuan Brown and Robert Joseph (Oklahoma Baptist and Union (TN))
Charles Stevenson
Hustle Award
Troy Farrow, (Barat)
Chuck Taylor MVPMichael Williamson (USAO)
Attendance21,456
Top scorerDuJuan Brown (Oklahoma Baptist)
(136 points)
NAIA Division I
men's tournaments
«2001 2003»

The 2002 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the first NAIA tournament back in Kansas City since 1993. The NAIA headquarters also relocated to Olathe, Kansas this year. The 65th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.[1] The 2002 champion was 2001's runner-up, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The Drovers faced Sooner Athletic Conference rival Oklahoma Baptist University in the championship game. It was the first time two teams from the Sooner Athletic Conference ever met in the national championship game. And the first SAC team to win the tournament since Oklahoma City University won in 1996. The Drovers rolled over the Bison 96–79. Finishing out the NAIA Semifinals were Azusa Pacific University and Barat College.

2002 was also the first year Buffalo Funds, a Kansas City-based investment management firm, was the title corporate sponsor.[2] In 2008 Buffalo Funds extended its contract with the NAIA tournament until the 2010 tournament; in 2013, it would be extended to 2017.[3]

Awards and honors[edit]

  • Leading scorer: DuJuan Brown, Oklahoma Baptist (2001 winner) in 5 games DuJuan scored 51FG 21FT totaling 136pts (avg 27.2/game)
  • Leading rebounder: Sidney Holmes, Barat in 4 games 49 rebounds (avg. 12.3)
  • Most Three-Point Field Goals Made (All Tournament): 55, USAO (120 attempts)
  • Most consecutive tournament appearances: 11th, Georgetown (KY)
  • Most tournament appearances: Georgetown (KY), 21st of 28, appearances to the NAIA Tournament[4]

2002 NAIA bracket[edit]

First round Second round Elite Eight NAIA national semifinals NAIA national championship
               
1 Georgetown (KY) 88
- Rocky Mountain 65
1 Georgetown (KY) 59
16 Oklahoma City 74
- Houston Baptist 82
16 Oklahoma City 88
16 Oklahoma City 72
TOP TIER
9 Azusa Pacific 80
9 Azusa Pacific 78
- Spalding 44
9 Azusa Pacific 97
- Auburn Montgomery 50
- Auburn Montgomery 56
8 Southern–New Orleans 55
9 Azusa Pacific 81
5 Oklahoma Baptist 93
- Lewis–Clark State 78
5 Oklahoma Baptist 89
5 Oklahoma Baptist 90
- Martin Methodist 79
- Martin Methodist 53
12 Spring Hill 47
5 Oklahoma Baptist 89
TOP TIER
- Olivet Nazarene 69
13 Edward Waters 64
- Olivet Nazarene 80
- Olivet Nazarene 85
4 McKendree 78
- Georgia Southwestern State 71
4 McKendree 87
5 Oklahoma Baptist 79
- USAO 96
3 Biola 75
- Barber–Scotia 46
3 Biola 79
- USAO 92
- USAO 68
14 Carroll (MT) 61
- USAO 92
BOTTOM TIER
- Huston–Tillotson 77
11 Cumberlands 69
- Dillard 55
11 Cumberlands 73
- Huston–Tillotson 78
- Huston–Tillotson 83
6 Faulkner 68
- USAO 111
15 Barat 106*
7 Mountain State 85
- Wayland Baptist 71
7 Mountain State 47
- Westmont 75
- Westmont 88
10 Southern Tech 77
- Westmont 79
BOTTOM TIER
15 Barat 91
15 Barat 93
- Columbia (MO) 86
15 Barat 96
2 Union (TN) 87*
- Westminster (UT) 52
2 Union (TN) 62
  •  * denotes overtime.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NAIA.org". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Buffalo Funds as NAIA title sponsor
  3. ^ "Buffalo Funds extends sponsorship to 2010". Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
  4. ^ NAIA Championship History Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine