Talk:National championships in men's college basketball
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NAIB / NAIA tournament
editJames Naismith and others organized a basketball tournament in 1937, one year before the NIT and two years before the NCAA tournament, played at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
- 1937 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament
- NAIA men's basketball championship
- Template:NAIA men's basketball tournament
This would eventually be called the NAIB / NAIA tournament. The competition was typically composed of "small colleges and universities".
Unclear if this tournament ever played into the national championship discussion, or if any teams claim a highest-level national championship based on an NAIB tournament win. If so, some years should be added to this page. PK-WIKI (talk) 20:43, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
- 1937, 1938
- Central Missouri Mules basketball claim(?)
- Basketball Records Book p. 10 — "NAIB NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 1937, 1938"
- After the Mules won the 1938 NAIB Championship, Dr. James Naismith (above right, presenting the national championship trophy to Mules head coach Tad C. Reid) said, "No other team can claim the intercollegiate championship of this nation."
- UCM Multipurpose Building banners: Mules Basketball — NAIB National Champions — 1937, 1938
- 1939
- United Press: "The national championship, however, still is a muddle. Long Island university, victor in Manhattan's invitational tournament, is a popular eastern choice for the title and Southwestern Teachers of Winfield, Kan., won a similar tournament at Kansas City. Oregon was a good enough team last night to claim any title."
- 1941
- 1948
-
- Basketball Media Guide pp. 154–156 — "Louisville's National Champions"
- "1948 NAIB Champions" presented chronologically in the national championship section with exact same presentation as the 1956 NIT + 1980/1986/2013 NCAA teams.
- Defeated by NCAA champion Kentucky in the post-tournament Olympic Trials.
- 1952
-
- Defeated by NCAA champion Kansas in the post-tournament Olympic Trials.
- PK-WIKI (talk) 20:53, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
Pre-tournament UPI / Coaches Poll
editCoaches Poll#College basketball
- 1956: San Francisco won the first United Press Trophy, pre-tournament. Went on to win the NCAA tournament.
- 1957: North Carolina won the pre-tournament UP Trophy. Went on to win the NCAA tournament.
- 1975: Indiana hangs a banner "UPI National Champions 1975" opposite from their 5 "NCAA Basketball Champions" banners.
Scope of article
editAs currently titled, it seems like this article should also cover NAIA and divisional NCAA men’s championships. The title does not suggest only NCAA division I. Rikster2 (talk) 18:12, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
- It's a hard problem, as adding something like "NCAA division I" to the title is very misleading as essentially the entire point of the article is to examine the highest-level national championships that occurred before the NCAA division I separation and tournament. Suggestions welcome. PK-WIKI (talk) 18:36, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
- Right, but that isn’t the title. College football’s companion article is College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS. That naming also was not true in the early days of college football. Not saying that’s the right answer, but as titled now it seems like any claim to be college basketball champion should be there. Might be worth asking at the College basketball project Rikster2 (talk) 19:13, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
editNational Invitation Tournament
- 2025–26 BYU Media Guide:
"The Cougars won two NIT titles in 1951 (a national championship as the NIT was considered a premier tournament at the time) and 1966."
- After their NIT win, BYU lost twice in the NCAA tournament (finishing fourth in the Western region).
- 2025–26 BYU Media Guide: