Before the formation of the National Tournament as we know it, the NJCAA, in conjunction with officials from the Western States Basketball leagues created an Invitational Tournament called the Western States Basketball Tournament. The tournament ran from 1945-47. Top teams from all over the country convened in California to compete. Although never officially declared NJCAA National Champions, Pasadena (CA), Sacramento (CA), and Compton (CA) won the first three championships.
The excitement and success of the Western States Invitational Tournament became the segue to the current region, district, and national tournament format we see in the NJCAA today.
In 1948, the first official NJCAA Men’s Basketball Championship was born. It was played in the Southwest State College Field House in Springfield, MO. The tournament moved to Hutchinson, KS in 1949, and for the next three years it was played downtown in Convention Hall.
Prior to the 1952 Championship, the event moved to the newly completed Sports Arena on the current site of the Hutchinson CC campus. The tournament had found a new home, and it has been there ever since. Although the Sports Arena has undergone several upgrades, the latest was completed just in time for the 2018 tournament.
In the beginning, the NJCAA only had one division for men’s basketball. Then in 1986, a restricted scholarship Division 2 was added. A third, non-scholarship division, was formed prior to the 1990-91 season.
| YEAR | CHAMPION (No. of titles) | RUNNER-UP | SCORE |
| 2024 | Barton CC (KS) – 1 | Triton College (IL) | 88-73 |
| 2023 | John A. Logan College (IL) – 1 | Northwest Florida State | 73-70 |
| 2022 | Northwest Florida State – 3 | Salt Lake CC (UT) | 83-67 |
| 2021 | Coffeyville CC (KS) – 2 | Cowley College (KS) | 108-99 |
| 2020 | No Champion Crowned | Tournament canceled due to Covid-19 pandemic | |
| 2019 | Vincennes University (IN) – 4 | Ranger College (TX) | 87-77 |
| 2018 | South Plains College (TX) – 3 | College of Southern Idaho | 98-95 |
| 2017 | Hutchinson CC (KS) – 3 | Eastern Florida State | 84-58 |
| 2016 | Salt Lake CC (UT) – 2 | Hutchinson CC (KS) | 74-64 |
| 2015 | Northwest Florida State – 2 | South Plains College (TX) | 83-80 |
| 2014 | Jones JC (MS) – 1 | Indian Hills CC (IA) | 87-77 |
| 2013 | College of Central Florida – 1 | Northwest Florida State | 74-69 |
| 2012 | South Plains College (TX) – 2 | Northwest Florida State | 81-68 |
| 2011 | College of Southern Idaho – 3 | Midland College (TX) | 72-64 |
| 2010 | Howard College (TX) – 1 | Three Rivers College (MO) | 85-80 OT |
| 2009 | Salt Lake CC (UT) – 1 | Midland College (TX) | 67-60 |
| 2008 | South Plains College (TX) – 1 | Salt Lake CC (UT) | 67-56 |
| 2007 | Midland College (TX) – 2 | Chipola College (FL) | 94-75 |
| 2006 | Univ. of Arkansas-Fort Smith – 2 | Tallahassee CC (FL) | 68-59 |
| 2005 | Paris JC (TX) – 1 | Moberly Area CC (MO) | 70-61 |
| 2004 | Southeastern CC (IA) – 3 | Redlands CC (OK) | 58-43 |
| 2003 | Southeastern CC (IA) – 2 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) | 76-68 |
| 2002 | Dixie College (UT) – 1 | Coffeyville CC (KS) | 82-81 |
| 2001 | Wabash Valley College (IL) – 1 | Allegany College (MD) | 89-83 |
| 2000 | Southeastern CC (IA) – 1 | John C. Calhoun State (AL) | 84-70 |
| 1999 | Indian Hills CC (IA) – 3 | Barton Co. CC (KS) | 100-86 |
| 1998 | Indian Hills CC (IA) – 2 | Southwest Tenn. CC | 83-68 |
| 1997 | Indian Hills CC (IA) – 1 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) | 89-80 |
| 1996 | Sullivan College (KY) – 1 | Allegany College (MD) | 104-98 OT |
| 1995 | Okaloosa-Walton CC (FL)* – 1 | Spartanburg Methodist (SC) | 79-63 |
| 1994 | Hutchinson CC (KS) – 2 | Three Rivers CC (MO) | 78-74 |
| 1993 | Pensacola State College (FL) – 1 | Butler Co. CC (KS) | 79-74 |
| 1992 | Three Rivers CC (MO) – 2 | Butler Co. CC (KS) | 78-77 |
| 1991 | Aquinas JC (TN) – 1 | Arizona Western College | 74-68 |
| 1990 | Connors State College (OK) – 1 | College of Southern Idaho | 103-87 |
| 1989 | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – 1 | Northeast Mississippi CC | 83-76 |
| 1988 | Hutchinson CC (KS) – 1 | Kankakee CC (IL) | 76-74 |
| 1987 | College of Southern Idaho – 2 | Midland College (TX) | 69-68 |
| 1986 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 4 | Vincennes University (IN) | 84-78 |
| 1985 | Dixie College (UT) – 1 | Kankakee CC (IL) | 57-55 |
| 1984 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 3 | Independence CC (KS) | 86-82 |
| 1983 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 2 | Seminole State CC (OK) | 73-68 |
| 1982 | Midland College (TX) – 1 | Miami-Dade North (FL) | 93-88 OT |
| 1981 | Westark CC (AK)+ – 1 | Lincoln College (IL) | 67-50 |
| 1980 | Western Texas College – 2 | Jefferson State CC (AL) | 85-72 |
| 1979 | Three Rivers CC (MO) – 1 | Mercer Co. CC (NJ) | 60-59 OT |
| 1978 | Independence CC (KS) – 3 | Niagra County CC (NY) | 62-61 |
| 1977 | Independence CC (KS) – 2 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) | 75-72 |
| 1976 | College of Southern Idaho – 1 | Mercer County CC (NJ) | 62-50 |
| 1975 | Western Texas College – 1 | College of Southern Idaho | 65-57 |
| 1974 | Mercer County CC (NJ) – 2 | Chipola JC (FL) | 60-58 |
| 1973 | Mercer County (NJ) – 1 | Vacated | 80-61 |
| 1972 | Vincennes University (IN) – 3 | Ferrum JC (VA) | 73-61 |
| 1971 | Ellsworth CC (IA) – 1 | College of Southern Idaho | 80-71 |
| 1970 | Vincennes University (IN) – 2 | Moberly Area CC (MO) | 85-67 |
| 1969 | Paducah JC (KY) – 1 | Robert Morris (PA) | 79-76 |
| 1968 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) – 1 | Mercer County CC (NJ) | 66-64 |
| 1967 | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 4 | San Jacinto-Central (TX) | 56-55 |
| 1966 | Moberly Area CC (MO) – 3 | Cameron JC (OK) | 90-66 |
| 1965 | Vincennes University (IN) – 1 | Southeastern CC (IA | 80-76 |
| 1964 | Dodge City CC (KS) – 1 | Casper JC (WY) | 73-68 |
| 1963 | Independence CC (KS) – 1 | Moberly Area CC (MO) | 73-68 OT |
| 1962 | Coffeyville CC (KS) – 1 | Lon Morris College (TX) | 74-49 |
| 1961 | Pueblo JC (CO) – 1 | Tyler JC (TX) | 79-66 |
| 1960 | Parsons JC (CO) – 1 | Tyler JC (TX) | 73-71 |
| 1959 | Weber College (UT) – 1 | Bethany Lutheran (MN) | 57-47 |
| 1958 | Kilgore JC (TX) -2 | Weber College (UT) | 68-57 |
| 1957 | San Angelo College (TX) -1 | Eastern Arizona College | 63-51 |
| 1956 | Kilgore JC (TX) -1 | Hannibal-LaGrange JC (MO) | 68-65 |
| 1955 | Moberly Area CC (MO) -2 | Hannibal-LaGrange JC (MO) | 71-64 OT |
| 1954 | Moberly Area CC (MO) -1 | Snow College (UT) | 54-49 OT |
| 1953 | El Dorado JC (KS) -1 | Cowley County CC (KS) | 80-64 |
| 1952 | Wharton JC (TX) – 1 | Hibbing JC (MN) | 78-76 |
| 1951 | Tyler JC (TX) – 2 | Ventura College (CA) | 93-75 |
| 1950 | Los Angeles College (CA) – 1 | Northeast Mississippi JC | 67-63 |
| 1949 | Tyler JC (TX) – 1 | Hutchinson CC (KS) | 66-64 |
| 1948 | College of Marin (CA) – 1 | Murray State College (OK) | 48-34 |
* Okaloosa-Walton CC became Northwest Florida State College and is located in Niceville, FL
+ Westark CC became University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.