2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2003, and ended with the championship game on April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Superdome. A total of 64 games were played.

2003 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season200203
Teams65
Finals siteLouisiana Superdome
New Orleans, Louisiana
ChampionsSyracuse Orangemen (1st title, 3rd title game,
4th Final Four)
Runner-upKansas Jayhawks (7th title game,
12th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJim Boeheim (1st title)
MOPCarmelo Anthony (Syracuse)
Attendance54,524
Top scorerCarmelo Anthony (Syracuse)
(121 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«2002 2004»

The Final Four consisted of Kansas, making their second straight appearance, Marquette, making their first appearance since they won the national championship in 1977, Syracuse, making their first appearance since 1996, and Texas, making their first appearance since 1947. Texas was the only top seed to advance to the Final Four; the other three (Arizona, Kentucky, and Oklahoma) advanced as far as the Elite Eight but fell.

Syracuse won their first national championship in three tries under 27th year Head Coach Jim Boeheim, defeating Kansas 81–78 a position he would held until his retirement after the 2022–2023 season. In what would be Roy Williams' final game as head coach of the team; he would depart to become the head coach at North Carolina, a position he held before retiring after the 2020–2021 season.

Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Syracuse beat four Big 12 teams on its way to the title: Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. Those victories helped earn Boeheim the national title that had eluded him in 1987 and 1996.

Schedule and venues

2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Spokane
Spokane
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Tampa
Tampa
Boston
Boston
Nashville
Nashville
Birmingham
Birmingham
2003 first and second rounds (note: the play-in game was held in Dayton, Ohio)
2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Anaheim
Anaheim
Minneapolis
Minneapolis
San Antonio
San Antonio
Albany
Albany
New Orleans
New Orleans
2003 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 2003 tournament:

Opening Round

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Qualifying teams

Automatic bids

The following teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2003 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament (except for the Ivy League, whose regular-season champion received the automatic bid).

Conference School Appearance Last bid
ACC Duke 27th 2002
America East Vermont 1st Never
Atlantic 10 Dayton 12th 2000
Atlantic Sun Troy State 1st Never
Big 12 Oklahoma 22nd 2002
Big East Pittsburgh 15th 2002
Big Sky Weber State 13th 1999
Big South UNC Asheville 1st Never
Big Ten Illinois 23rd 2002
Big West Utah State 15th 2001
Colonial UNC Wilmington 3rd 2002
C-USA Louisville 30th 2000
Horizon UW–Milwaukee 1st Never
Ivy League Penn 20th 2002
MAAC Manhattan 5th 1995
MAC Central Michigan 4th 1987
MEAC South Carolina State 5th 2000
Mid-Con IUPUI 1st Never
Missouri Valley Creighton 14th 2002
Mountain West Colorado State 8th 1990
Northeast Wagner 1st Never
Ohio Valley Austin Peay 5th 1996
Pac-10 Oregon 8th 2002
Patriot Holy Cross 11th 2002
SEC Kentucky 45th 2002
Southern East Tennessee State 6th 1992
Southland Sam Houston State 1st Never
Sun Belt Western Kentucky 19th 2002
SWAC Texas Southern 4th 1995
WAC Tulsa 14th 2002
West Coast San Diego 3rd 1987

Listed by region and seeding

East Regional – Albany
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Oklahoma Big 12 24–6 Automatic
#2 Wake Forest ACC 24–5 At-large
#3 Syracuse Big East 24–5 At-large
#4 Louisville C-USA 24–6 Automatic
#5 Mississippi State SEC 20–10 At-large
#6 Oklahoma State Big 12 21–9 At-large
#7 Saint Joseph's Atlantic 10 23–6 At-large
#8 California Pac-10 21–8 At-large
#9 North Carolina State ACC 18–12 At-large
#10 Auburn SEC 20–11 At-large
#11 Pennsylvania Ivy League 22–5 Automatic
#12 Butler Horizon 25–5 At-large
#13 Austin Peay OVC 23–7 Automatic
#14 Manhattan MAAC 23–6 Automatic
#15 East Tennessee State Southern 20–10 Automatic
#16 South Carolina State MEAC 20–10 Automatic
South Regional – San Antonio
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Texas Big 12 22–6 At-large
#2 Florida SEC 24–7 At-large
#3 Xavier Atlantic 10 25–5 At-large
#4 Stanford Pac-10 23–8 At-large
#5 Connecticut Big East 21–9 At-large
#6 Maryland ACC 19–9 At-large
#7 Michigan State Big Ten 19–12 At-large
#8 LSU SEC 21–10 At-large
#9 Purdue Big Ten 18–10 At-large
#10 Colorado Big 12 20–11 At-large
#11 UNC Wilmington CAA 24–6 Automatic
#12 BYU Mountain West 23–8 At-large
#13 San Diego WCC 18–11 Automatic
#14 Troy State Atlantic Sun 26–5 Automatic
#15 Sam Houston State Southland 23–6 Automatic
#16 UNC Asheville Big South 14–16 Automatic
Texas Southern SWAC 18–12 Automatic
Midwest Regional – Minneapolis
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Kentucky SEC 29–3 Automatic
#2 Pittsburgh Big East 26–4 Automatic
#3 Marquette C-USA 23–5 At-large
#4 Dayton Atlantic 10 24–5 Automatic
#5 Wisconsin Big Ten 22–7 At-large
#6 Missouri Big 12 21–10 At-large
#7 Indiana Big Ten 20–12 At-large
#8 Oregon Pac-10 23–9 Automatic
#9 Utah Mountain West 24–7 At-large
#10 Alabama SEC 17–11 At-large
#11 Southern Illinois Missouri Valley 24–6 At-large
#12 Weber State Big Sky 26–5 Automatic
#13 Tulsa WAC 22–9 Automatic
#14 Holy Cross Patriot 26–4 Automatic
#15 Wagner Northeast 21–10 Automatic
#16 IUPUI Mid-Continent 20–13 Automatic
West Regional – Anaheim
Seed School Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Arizona Pac-10 25–3 At-large
#2 Kansas Big 12 25–7 At-large
#3 Duke ACC 24–6 Automatic
#4 Illinois Big Ten 24–6 Automatic
#5 Notre Dame Big East 22–9 At-large
#6 Creighton Missouri Valley 29–4 Automatic
#7 Memphis C-USA 23–6 At-large
#8 Cincinnati C-USA 17–11 At-large
#9 Gonzaga WCC 23–8 At-large
#10 Arizona State Pac-10 19–11 At-large
#11 Central Michigan Mid-American 24–6 Automatic
#12 UW–Milwaukee Horizon 24–7 Automatic
#13 Western Kentucky Sun Belt 24–8 Automatic
#14 Colorado State Mountain West 19–13 Automatic
#15 Utah State Big West 24–8 Automatic
#16 Vermont America East 21–11 Automatic

BYU bracketing switch

When the bracket was first revealed, it contained a mistake that would have forced BYU, a Mormon-run school, to play its potential Elite 8 game on a Sunday, which is against school policy. As a solution, the selection committee had a plan to switch BYU, the 12 seed in the Friday-Sunday South regional, with the team that reached the Sweet 16 in the Thursday-Saturday Midwest regional (either Wisconsin, Weber State, Dayton, or Tulsa) should the Cougars advance to the Sweet 16.[1] BYU lost its first-round game to Connecticut, which meant no switches were necessary.

Bids by conference

Bids by Conference
Bids Conference(s)
6 Big 12, SEC
5 Big Ten, Pac-10
4 ACC, Big East, C-USA
3 Atlantic 10, Mountain West
2 Horizon, Missouri Valley, WCC
1 19 others

Final Four

The Louisiana Superdome was host of the Final Four and National Championship in 2003.

At Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans

National semifinals

Championship game

  • April 7, 2003
    Leading up to the championship game, much of the conversation revolved around how, no matter the outcome, one of the well-known head coaches would win their first championship.[4] In Jim Boeheim's 27 years as head coach at Syracuse his team had been to two previous Final Fours, and finished runner-up each time (1987, 1996).[4] Roy Williams, during his fifteen seasons as Kansas head coach, had reached the Final Four three previous times, and finished runner up once (1991).[4] Syracuse dominated with a hot shooting first half to lead by 11 at the break. Gerry McNamara connected on an impressive six three-pointers in the half, which were his 18 points for the game. Kansas fought back to within 80–78 in the final minute and had a chance to tie after Hakim Warrick missed a pair of free throws in the final moments; free throws were a major problem throughout the game for Kansas, who went 12-for-30 in attempts. Warrick then blocked Michael Lee's three point attempt with 1.5 seconds remaining on the game clock, followed by Kirk Hinrich's three-pointer at the buzzer going over the net. Kansas' free throw struggles would prove costly in giving Syracuse and Jim Boeheim their first ever national championship. Carmelo Anthony was named Most Outstanding Player (MOP) with 20 points and 10 Rebounds in the win. Syracuse also avenged a second-round loss to Kansas two years earlier.[5]

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

Opening Round game

Winner advances to 16th seed in South Regional vs. (1) Texas.

Opening Round game
March 18
   
16a UNC Ashville 92*
16b Texas Southern 84

East Regional – Albany, New York

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Oklahoma 71
16 South Carolina State 54
1 Oklahoma 74
Oklahoma City - Thu/Sat
8 California 65
8 California 76*
9 NC State 74
1 Oklahoma 65
12 Butler 54
5 Mississippi St 46
12 Butler 47
12 Butler 79
Birmingham - Fri/Sun
4 Louisville 71
4 Louisville 86
13 Austin Peay 64
1 Oklahoma 47
3 Syracuse 63
6 Oklahoma State 77
11 Pennsylvania 63
6 Oklahoma State 56
Boston - Fri/Sun
3 Syracuse 68
3 Syracuse 76
14 Manhattan 65
3 Syracuse 79
10 Auburn 78
7 Saint Joseph's 63
10 Auburn 65*
10 Auburn 68
Tampa - Fri/Sun
2 Wake Forest 62
2 Wake Forest 76
15 East Tennessee State 73

South Regional – San Antonio, Texas

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Texas 82
16 UNC Asheville 61
1 Texas 77
Birmingham - Fri/Sun
9 Purdue 67
8 LSU 56
9 Purdue 80
1 Texas 82
5 Connecticut 78
5 Connecticut 58
12 BYU 53
5 Connecticut 85
Spokane - Thu/Sat
4 Stanford 74
4 Stanford 77
13 San Diego 69
1 Texas 85
7 Michigan State 76
6 Maryland 75
11 UNC Wilmington 73
6 Maryland 77
Nashville - Fri/Sun
3 Xavier 64
3 Xavier 71
14 Troy State 59
6 Maryland 58
7 Michigan State 60
7 Michigan State 79
10 Colorado 64
7 Michigan State 68
Tampa - Fri/Sun
2 Florida 46
2 Florida 85
15 Sam Houston State 55

Midwest Regional – Minneapolis, Minnesota

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Kentucky 95
16 IUPUI 64
1 Kentucky 74
Nashville - Fri/Sun
9 Utah 54
8 Oregon 58
9 Utah 60
1 Kentucky 63
5 Wisconsin 57
5 Wisconsin 81
12 Weber State 74
5 Wisconsin 61
Spokane - Thu/Sat
13 Tulsa 60
4 Dayton 71
13 Tulsa 84
1 Kentucky 69
3 Marquette 83
6 Missouri 72
11 Southern Illinois 71
6 Missouri 92
Indianapolis - Thu/Sat
3 Marquette 101*
3 Marquette 72
14 Holy Cross 68
3 Marquette 77
2 Pittsburgh 74
7 Indiana 67
10 Alabama 62
7 Indiana 52
Boston - Fri/Sun
2 Pittsburgh 74
2 Pittsburgh 87
15 Wagner 61

West Regional – Anaheim, California

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Arizona 80
16 Vermont 51
1 Arizona 96**
Salt Lake City - Thu/Sat
9 Gonzaga 95
8 Cincinnati 69
9 Gonzaga 74
1 Arizona 88
5 Notre Dame 71
5 Notre Dame 70
12 UW–Milwaukee 69
5 Notre Dame 68
Indianapolis - Thu/Sat
4 Illinois 60
4 Illinois 65
13 Western Kentucky 60
1 Arizona 75
2 Kansas 78
6 Creighton 73
11 Central Michigan 79
11 Central Michigan 60
Salt Lake City Thu/Sat
3 Duke 86
3 Duke 67
14 Colorado State 57
3 Duke 65
2 Kansas 69
7 Memphis 71
10 Arizona State 84
10 Arizona State 76
Oklahoma City - Thu/Sat
2 Kansas 108
2 Kansas 64
15 Utah State 61

Final Four – New Orleans, Louisiana

National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E3 Syracuse 95
S1 Texas 84
E3 Syracuse 81
W2 Kansas 78
M3 Marquette 61
W2 Kansas 94

Broadcast information

Originally, CBS Sports was to have shown all 63 games of the tournament following the opening round, which was on ESPN. However, because of the start of the Iraq War the night before, the afternoon games on Thursday and Friday were moved to ESPN while retaining CBS graphics and production. CBS News then joined other broadcast and non-broadcast outlets in showing extended news coverage.

Thursday and Friday night's games were shown on CBS, albeit with frequent news updates. To make up for lost advertising revenue, an additional time slot was opened the following Sunday evening for more CBS telecasts.

2003 also marked the debut of Mega March Madness as an exclusive package on DirecTV. This offered additional game broadcasts not available to the viewer's home market during the first three rounds of the tournament. All games from the 4th round (Elite Eight) onward were national telecasts.

Westwood One had exclusive national radio coverage.

CBS Sports announcers

First and second rounds

Doug Kennedy and Richard Larsen

See also

References

  1. Katz, Andy (March 16, 2003). "BYU would switch regionals if it wins two". ESPN.com. ESPN.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  2. "2003 NCAA National semifinals: (E3) Syracuse 95, (S1) Texas 84". CNN Sports Illustrated. CNNSI.com. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
  3. "2003 NCAA National semifinals: (W2) Kansas 94, (MW3) Marquette 61". CNN Sports Illustrated. CNNSI.com. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
  4. Wojciechowski, Gene (April 6, 2003). "Boeheim, Williams say title won't define careers". ESPN.com. ESPN the Magazine. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  5. "2003 NCAA national championship: (E3) Syracuse 81, (W2) Kansas 78". CNN Sports Illustrated. CNNSI.com. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
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