The 2002 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at
Municipal Auditorium in
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
. 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. 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
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
. The Drovers rolled over the Bison 96–79. Finishing out the NAIA Semifinals were
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...
and
Barat College
Barat College of the Sacred Heart was a small Catholic college located in Lake Forest, Illinois, north of Chicago. The college was named after Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart.
Barat College was purchased by De ...
.
2002 was also the first year Buffalo Funds, a Kansas City-based investment management firm, was the title corporate sponsor. In 2008 Buffalo Funds extended its contract with the NAIA tournament until the 2010 tournament; in 2013, it would be extended to 2017.
Awards and honors
*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
NAIA Championship History
2002 NAIA bracket
* * denotes overtime.
See also
*2002 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament
The 2002 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament was the tournament held by the NAIA to determine the national champion of women's college basketball among its Division I members in the United States and Canada for the 2001–02 basketba ...
*2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the champions ...
* 2002 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
*2002 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
The 2002 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was the 28th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division III collegiate basketball in the Unit ...
*2002 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament
The 2002 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament was the tournament held by the NAIA to determine the national champion of men's college basketball among its Division II members in the United States and Canada for the 2001–02 basketbal ...
References
{{NAIA men's basketball tournament
NAIA Men's Basketball Championship
Tournament
NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament