It did not take coach Jack Lough long to figure out a way to adapt his slow-play style to the new mid-court rule. After one season with a losing record, the North Carolina Tech Techsters would win their record fourth national championship. They were not the dominant team that won three straight titles just over a decade ago but they somehow found their way through a very deep South Atlantic Conference section that featured 5 teams ranked in the top ten at the end of the regular season, and then -despite being a 6th seed- they made it through the tournament as well.

Most schools had adjusted to the new rules and focused on scoring points but under Lough the Techsters continued to use the stall offense. And once more it worked. They knocked off conference rival and SAC champion Columbia Military in their tournament opener and had little trouble with Brunswick in the second round. They used the slowdown style to perfection in a 29-24 win over Garden State to earn a trip to New York's Bigsby Garden for the semi-finals.

Joining the Techsters in the Big Apple were a pair of their rivals from the South Atlantic Conference in Carolina Poly and Mobile Maritime, which was a surprise winner over top ranked Detroit City College in the second round. Rounding out the field of four was Deep South Conference champion Western Florida. Carolina Poly proved too much for Wolves in the opening round, taking an exciting 44-43 victory behind 15 points from National Player of the Year Rafe Massey. In contrast to the fast-pace and frantic shooting of the opener, the second semi-final felt like games of a decade ago as North Carolina Tech used the slowdown to lull Mobile Maritime and the crowd to sleep with a 29-21 victory.

The final was expected to be a contrast in style but instead Carolina Poly spent much of the game trying to mimic North Carolina Tech's slow play as it worked for the Cardinals in their regular season meeting. The result was not pretty this time around as Massey struggled with his shot in the first half, sinking just one of 9 attempts and the Cardinals found themselves trailing 19-7 at the break. They tried to open up the play in the second half and had a little more success but Tech's defense and keep-away style, even with just half the court available once they crossed the mid-line, was just too much for the Cardinals to overcome.

The North Carolina Tech victory brought plenty of worry from rival coaches and supporters of the sport that this would set off a new wave of slow-down play as schools once more tried to mimic what the national champions did to be successful. It did, but only to a small degree as more and more talented youngsters who had mastered the set-shot and plenty of giants measuring 6'6" and above were arriving...and with them more ways to generate offense.

North Carolina Tech aside, the game was generating plenty of fan interest and as a result Bigsby Garden, at the urging of Samuel Bigsby, began what remains a long-standing tradtion of bringing top teams from across the country to New York during the season for weekly doubleheaders. It was a hit right off the bat and would usually feature at least one local team in action along with appearances by most of the major schools in the east and middle-west. Coaches from other areas loved it for the added benefit that it gave them the opportunity to catch a few New York area high school games and see some of the top recruits in action, something that only helped the concept continue to prosper in the coming years.

NATIONAL TITLE PLAYOFF
SEMI-FINALS: Carolina Poly 44 Western Florida 43
North Carolina Tech 29 Mobile Maritime 21

TITLE GAME: North Carolina Tech 33 Carolina Poly 24

1933-34 MAJOR CONFERENCE CHAMPS
ACADEMIA ALLIANCE: Brunswick 18-15 (9-5)
NORTHEAST: Garden State 26-4 (14-2)
DEEP SOUTH: Western Florida 24-10 (8-4)
GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE: Detroit City Coll 26-6 (12-4)
WEST COAST ATHL ASSN: CCLA 26-6 (14-2)
SOUTHWESTERN ALL.: Red River State 18-13 (9-5)
PLAINS: Eastern Kansas 19-12 (10-2)
SOUTH ATLANTIC: Columbia Military 22-8 (12-2)

1933-34 TOP TEN
1- Detroit City College 26-6
2- Carolina Poly 27-7
3- Garden State 26-4
4- Chesapeake State 25-6
5- Mobile Maritime 25-8
6- St Ignatius 24-9
7- CCLA 26-6
8- Columbia Military Acad 22-8
9- North Carolina Tech 25-10
10- Whitney College 21-11

LIST OF AIAA CHAMPIONS
1909-10 Henry Hudson Explorers
1910-11 Brunswick Knights
1911-12 Brunswick Knights
1912-13 Georgia Baptist Gators
1913-14 Henry Hudson Explorers
1914-15 George Fox Reds
1915-16 CCLA Coyotes
1916-17 Chicago Poly Panthers
1917-18 Brunswick Knights
1918-19 Pierpont Purple
1919-20 Bayou State Cougars
1920-21 Carolina Poly Cardinals
1921-22 North Carolina Tech Techsters
1922-23 North Carolina Tech Techsters
1923-24 North Carolina Tech Techsters
1924-25 Whitney College Engineers
1925-26 Chicago Poly Panthers
1926-27 Opelika State Wildcats
1927-28 CCLA Coyotes
1928-29 Columbia Military Academy
1929-30 Carolina Poly Cardinals
1930-31 Chesapeake State Clippers
1931-32 Brooklyn State Bears
1932-33 CCLA Coyotes
1933-34 North Carolina Tech Techsters

ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
C Chris Kidwell SR Carolina Poly
F Jason Davis SR St Blane
F Gabriel Lawson SO Alabama Baptist
G Rafe Massey SR Carolina Poly
G Joe Twitty SR Jersey City Tech

ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
C Chad Marchetti SO Central Ohio
F Emmett Bolton JR Jersey City Tech
F John Cain SR Grafton
G Jerry Scheneck SR Alabama Gulf Coast
G Chris Smith JR Brooklyn State

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Rafe Massey Carolina Poly
COACH OF THE YEAR - Nate Estabrook Mobile Maritime