2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2002, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 7, 2003, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Syracuse Orangemen and coach Jim Boeheim won their first NCAA national championship with an 81–78 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Season headlines

• The preseason AP All-American team was named on November 12. David West of Xavier was the leading vote-getter (43 of 72 votes). The rest of the team included Luke Walton (42 votes) and Jason Gardner (39) of Arizona, Kirk Hinrich of Kansas (35) and Erwin Dudley of Alabama (32).
• The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) held its last third-place game between the teams which lost in the semifinals. The tournament included a third-place game from 1938 through 1981 and again from 1984 through 2003.

Major rule changes

Beginning in 2002–03, the following rules changes were implemented:

• Two free-throw lane spaces closest to the free-thrower would remain unoccupied.
• No free throws were awarded to the offended team in bonus for personal fouls committed by a team while in team control or in possession of the ball during a throw-in (team-control foul).

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The top 25 from the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls November 13, 2002.

Conference membership changes

These schools joined new conferences for the 2002–03 season.

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference standings

Division I independents

Eight schools played as Division I independents.

Informal championships

Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Source for additional stats categories

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four – Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

National Invitation tournament

Semifinals & finals

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

Major player of the year awards

• Wooden Award: T. J. Ford, Texas
• Naismith Award: T. J. Ford, Texas
• Associated Press Player of the Year: David West, Xavier
• NABC Player of the Year: Nick Collison, Kansas
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): David West, Xavier
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: David West, Xavier
• Sporting News Player of the Year: T. J. Ford, Texas

Major freshman of the year awards

• USBWA Freshman of the Year: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
• Sporting News Freshman of the Year: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Tubby Smith, Kentucky
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Tubby Smith, Kentucky
• NABC Coach of the Year: Tubby Smith, Kentucky
• Naismith College Coach of the Year: Tubby Smith, Kentucky
• CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Tubby Smith, Kentucky
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Tubby Smith, Kentucky

Other major awards

• Pete Newell Big Man Award (Best big man): David West, Xavier
• NABC Defensive Player of the Year: Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jason Gardner, Arizona
• Lowe's Senior CLASS Award (top senior): David West, Xavier
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Luis Flores, Manhattan
• Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award (Strong personal character): Brandon Miller, Butler

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.

References