The 1982 NAIA men's basketball tournament was held in March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The 45th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format.
Awards and honors
Leading scorers: Leading rebounder: Player of the Year: est. 1994.
1982 NAIA bracket
* denotes overtime.
Third-place game
The third-place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.