2001 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 64th NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament was held in March at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the second tournament held in the Tulsa Convention Center and the last tournament to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 64th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. 2001 would bring four new teams to the NAIA national semifinals. The first tournament since 1969 tournament to do so. (It would be the 6th time in tournament history this has happened; previous years were the inaugural year 1937, 1945, 1947, 1965, 1969). It surpasses the 15 year gap between a fresh set of semi-finalist that was between 1947-1969. It would be the only time this would happen outside of Kansas City.
| Teams | 32 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals site | Tulsa Convention Center Tulsa, Oklahoma | ||||
| Champions | Faulkner (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | USAO (1st title game) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Coach of the year | Jim Sanderson (Faulkner) | ||||
| Player of the year | Collier Mills (Transylvania) | ||||
Charles Stevenson Hustle Award | Rich Reinebach (Christian Heritage) | ||||
| Chuck Taylor MVP | Paul Little (Faulkner) | ||||
| Top scorer | DuJuan Brown (Oklahoma Baptist) (78 points) | ||||
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In the end, Faulkner University would win out over University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, with a score of 63 to 59. The others rookies in the semifinals were Pikeville College and Christian Heritage (Calif.). USAO would eventually come back and win in 2002 national tournament.