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2004 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Div. I Men's Basketball National Championship - March 24-March 30, 2004

Key Championship Tournament Highlights The NAIA Division I Basketball Championship Tournament, the nation’s oldest post-season collegiate basketball tournament, has its roots in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The 67th Annual NAIA Championship Tournament will be held March 24-March 30, 2004. Known for its non-stop action and eclectic mix of die-hard fans, this year’s Tournament promises the scrappy and spirited action that has spectators calling the NAIA basketball tournament "the real March Madness." View (download and print, if desired) a Fast Facts about the Tournament flyer. View (download and print, if desired) a flyer describing the associated events.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tournament Information

• Receive periodic email updates about the tournament. Sign up today!
• Tournament Bracket Released!

Admission Tickets

• Order Tickets (Single Session, All-tournament {reserved and general admission}) from Ticketmaster.com or the box office at Municipal Auditorium (816-513-5000), today!

Game Times

• FORMAT:  The championship is a 32-team, single-elimination tournament featuring 16 automatic qualifiers from 11 Division I affiliated conferences, one automatic independent qualifier, and 15 at-large berths. The tournament bracket was released on March 17.

In Appreciation

• The Olathe Chamber of Commerce and NAIA appreciate very much the support of these sponsors, who have made this event possible.  Sponsorship provides valuable exposure; participate as a sponsor!.

Participant/Fan Logistics & Arrangements

• Participants coming to town?  Congratulations!  You can learn about housing arrangements here.  Learn about the greater community at www.visitkc.com 

• Need to know about Parking in downtown KCMO?

Tournament Facts & Trivia

• View the official Tournament Fact Sheet!

• Learn more at NAIA.org!

• The six-day NAIA tournament follows a 32-team, 31-game single elimination, Wednesday-to-Tuesday format. Games will not be held on the Sunday of the tournament.

• Municipal Auditorium hosted the first NAIA tournament, which launched the organization in 1937, and will be the Division I Basketball Championship Tournament’s home through 2007.

• As part of the Champions of Character program, members of the Final Four tournament teams will host a Sunday, March 28 basketball clinic for Special Olympians at Municipal Auditorium.

• Members of tournament teams will present Champions of Character values at 32 YMCA after-school programs. 

• Metro Sports will broadcast the championship game locally in addition to placing the broadcast in regional outlets

Champions of Character

• The NAIA views sports as a vehicle for character development for all student-athletes, and celebrates competition with character throughout the tournament.

• The NAIA has launched its Champions of Character initiative, which promotes respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership and sportsmanship among student-athletes and youth who are involved in sports.

• The NAIA offers 23 championships in 13 sports. As part of the Champions of Character initiative, members of competing teams at each championship participate in a local community program.

Economic Impact

• The 2004 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Div. 1 Men's Basketball National Championship brings more than $2.7 million to the Kansas City region.*

  *Economic impact study commissioned by the Olathe Chamber of Commerce and conducted by the County Economic Research Institute (CERI)

• The NAIA plans to conduct at least one national championship in the Kansas City area during each of the collegiate sport seasons.

• For more in-depth tournament information, click here.

Copyright © 2004 Olathe Chamber of Commerce