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
Season2002–03
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 Jim Boeheim, defeating Kansas 81–78 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 still holds as of the 2019–2020 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.

Locations

The 2003 play-in game was played on Tuesday, March 18, at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, as it had been since its inception in 2001.

Spokane
Salt Lake City
Oklahoma City
Indianapolis
Tampa
Boston
Nashville
Birmingham
2003 first and second rounds (note: the play-in game was held in Dayton, Ohio)
Anaheim
Minneapolis
San Antonio
Albany
New Orleans
2003 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The first and second-round games were played at the following sites:

March 20 and 22
Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Host: Big 12 Conference)
Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Butler University and Horizon League)
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington (Host: Washington State University)
March 21 and 23
BJCC Arena, Birmingham, Alabama (Host: Southeastern Conference)
FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts (Host: Boston College)
Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tennessee (Host: Vanderbilt University)
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida (Host: University of South Florida)

The regional final sites were:

March 27 and 29
Midwest Regional, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Host: University of Minnesota)
West Regional, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Anaheim, California (Host: Big West Conference)
March 28 and 30
East Regional, Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York (Host: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and Siena College)
South Regional, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas (Host: University of Texas at San Antonio)

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four at the Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, hosted by the Sun Belt Conference and the University of New Orleans. The semi-final games were held on April 5 and the final on April 7, 2003. New Orleans was the host city for the fourth time, and the first time since 1993. There were three new venues, only one of which was in a new host city. For the first time, the tournament came to Spokane, Washington and the Spokane Arena. Previous games in eastern Washington had been played on the campus of Washington State University, who was host of the games despite the arena being the alternate home court for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The tournament returned to Oklahoma City in 2003, to the then-new Ford Center, which replaced the Cox Convention Center across the street as the city's major arena. And for the first time since 1983, the tournament returned to the city of Tampa at the St. Pete Times Forum, home to the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. The tournament had been held across Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg three times between appearances in Tampa. To date, this is the last tournament to feature what is now known as the Times Union Center in Albany; however, the tournament was scheduled to return to New York's state capital in 2020 prior to its cancellation.

Qualifying teams
East Regional – Albany
Seed School Coach Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Oklahoma Kelvin Sampson Big 12 24–6 Tournament Champion
#2 Wake Forest Skip Prosser ACC 24–5 At-Large Bid
#3 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Big East 24–5 At-Large Bid
#4 Louisville Rick Pitino Conference USA 24–6 Tournament Champion
#5 Mississippi State Rick Stansbury SEC 21–9 At-Large Bid
#6 Oklahoma State Eddie Sutton Big 12 21–9 At-Large Bid
#7 Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli Atlantic 10 23–6 At-Large Bid
#8 California Ben Braun Pac-10 21–8 At-Large Bid
#9 North Carolina State Herb Sendek ACC 18–12 At-Large Bid
#10 Auburn Cliff Ellis SEC 20–11 At-Large Bid
#11 Pennsylvania Fran Dunphy Ivy League 22–5 Regular Season Champion
#12 Butler Todd Lickliter Horizon 25–5 At-Large Bid
#13 Austin Peay Dave Loos OVC 23–7 Tournament Champion
#14 Manhattan Bobby Gonzalez MAAC 23–6 Tournament Champion
#15 East Tennessee State Ed DeChellis Southern 20–10 Tournament Champion
#16 South Carolina State Cy Alexander MEAC 20–10 Tournament Champion
South Regional – San Antonio
Seed School Coach Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Texas Rick Barnes Big 12 22–6 At-Large Bid
#2 Florida Billy Donovan SEC 24–7 At-Large Bid
#3 Xavier Thad Matta Atlantic 10 25–5 At-Large Bid
#4 Stanford Mike Montgomery Pac-10 23–8 At-Large Bid
#5 Connecticut Jim Calhoun Big East 21–9 At-Large Bid
#6 Maryland Gary Williams ACC 19–9 At-Large Bid
#7 Michigan State Tom Izzo Big Ten 19–12 At-Large Bid
#8 LSU John Brady SEC 21–10 At-Large Bid
#9 Purdue Gene Keady Big Ten 18–10 At-Large Bid
#10 Colorado Ricardo Patton Big 12 20–11 At-Large Bid
#11 UNC Wilmington Brad Brownell CAA 24–6 Tournament Champion
#12* BYU Steve Cleveland Mountain West 23–8 At-Large Bid
#13 San Diego Brad Holland WCC 18–11 Tournament Champion
#14 Troy Don Maestri Atlantic Sun 26–5 Tournament Champion
#15 Sam Houston State Bob Marlin Southland 24–9 Tournament Champion
#16 UNC Asheville Eddie Biedenbach Big South 14–16 Tournament Champion
Texas Southern Ronnie Courtney SWAC 18–12 Tournament Champion
  • If BYU had advanced to the Sweet 16, they would have been moved to the Midwest Regional
Midwest Regional – Minneapolis
Seed School Coach Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Kentucky Tubby Smith SEC 29–3 Tournament Champion
#2 Pittsburgh Ben Howland Big East 26–4 Tournament Champion
#3 Marquette Tom Crean Conference USA 23–5 At-Large Bid
#4 Dayton Oliver Purnell Atlantic 10 24–5 Tournament Champion
#5 Wisconsin Bo Ryan Big Ten 22–7 At-Large Bid
#6 Missouri Quin Snyder Big 12 21–10 At-Large Bid
#7 Indiana Mike Davis Big Ten 20–12 At-Large Bid
#8 Oregon Ernie Kent Pac-10 23–9 Tournament Champion
#9 Utah Rick Majerus Mountain West 24–7 At-Large Bid
#10 Alabama Mark Gottfried SEC 17–11 At-Large Bid
#11 Southern Illinois Bruce Weber Missouri Valley 24–6 At-Large Bid
#12 Weber State Joe Cravens Big Sky 26–5 Tournament Champion
#13 Tulsa John Phillips WAC 22–9 Tournament Champion
#14 Holy Cross Ralph Willard Patriot 26–4 Tournament Champion
#15 Wagner Dereck Whittenburg Northeast 21–10 Tournament Champion
#16 IUPUI Ron Hunter Mid-Continent 20–13 Tournament Champion
West Regional – Anaheim
Seed School Coach Conference Record Berth Type
#1 Arizona Lute Olson Pac-10 25–3 At-Large Bid
#2 Kansas Roy Williams Big 12 25–7 At-Large Bid
#3 Duke Mike Krzyzewski ACC 24–6 Tournament Champion
#4 Illinois Bill Self Big Ten 24–6 Tournament Champion
#5 Notre Dame Mike Brey Big East 22–9 At-Large Bid
#6 Creighton Dana Altman Missouri Valley 29–4 Tournament Champion
#7 Memphis John Calipari Conference USA 23–6 At-Large Bid
#8 Cincinnati Bob Huggins Conference USA 17–11 At-Large Bid
#9 Gonzaga Mark Few WCC 23–8 At-Large Bid
#10 Arizona State Rob Evans Pac-10 19–11 At-Large Bid
#11 Central Michigan Jay Smith MAC 24–6 Tournament Champion
#12 UW-Milwaukee Bruce Pearl Horizon 24–7 Tournament Champion
#13 Western Kentucky Dennis Felton Sun Belt 24–8 Tournament Champion
#14 Colorado State Dale Layer Mountain West 19–13 Tournament Champion
#15 Utah State Stew Morrill Big West 24–8 Tournament Champion
#16 Vermont Tom Brennan America East 21–11 Tournament Champion

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
Main article: 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball 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.[3] In Jim Boeheim's 27 years as head coach at Syracuse his team had been to two Final Fours, and finished runner-up each time (1987, 1996).[3] Roy Williams, during his fifteen seasons as Kansas head coach, had reached the Final Four four times, and finished runner up once (1991).[3] 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. Warrick, however, then blocked Michael Lee's three point attempt with 1.5 seconds remaining on the game clock. After Kirk Hinrich's three-pointer at the buzzer went over the net, Syracuse's victory gave them, 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.[4]

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – Albany, New York
First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Oklahoma 71
16 South Carolina St 54
1 Oklahoma 74
Oklahoma City
8 California 65
8 California 76
9 North Carolina State 74*
1 Oklahoma 65
12 Butler 54
5 Mississippi St 46
12 Butler 47
12 Butler 79
Birmingham
4 Louisville 71
4 Louisville 86
13 Austin Peay 64
1 Oklahoma 47
3 Syracuse 63
6 Oklahoma St 77
11 Pennsylvania 63
6 Oklahoma St 56
Boston
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
2 Wake Forest 62
2 Wake Forest 76
15 East Tennessee State 73

South Regional – San Antonio, Texas
First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Texas 82
16 UNC-Asheville 61
1 Texas 77
Birmingham
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
4 Stanford 74
4 Stanford 77
13 San Diego 69
1 Texas 85
7 Michigan St 76
6 Maryland 75
11 UNC-Wilmington 73
6 Maryland 77
Nashville
3 Xavier 64
3 Xavier 71
14 Troy St 59
6 Maryland 58
7 Michigan St 60
7 Michigan St 79
10 Colorado 64
7 Michigan St 68
Tampa
2 Florida 46
2 Florida 85
15 Sam Houston St 55

Midwest Regional – Minneapolis, Minnesota
First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Kentucky 95
16 IUPUI 64
1 Kentucky 74
Nashville
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
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
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
2 Pittsburgh 74
2 Pittsburgh 87
15 Wagner 61

West Regional – Anaheim, California
First round Second round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Arizona 80
16 Vermont 51
1 Arizona 96
Salt Lake City
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
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
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 St 76
Oklahoma City
2 Kansas 108
2 Kansas 64
15 Utah St 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. CNN Sports Illustrated. "2003 NCAA National Semifinals: (E3) Syracuse 95, (S1) Texas 84". CNNSI.com. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  2. CNN Sports Illustrated. "2003 NCAA National Semifinals: (W2) Kansas 94, (MW3) Marquette 61". CNNSI.com. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  3. Wojciechowski, Gene (April 6, 2003). "Boeheim, Williams say title won't define careers". ESPN.com. ESPN the Magazine. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  4. CNN Sports Illustrated. "2003 NCAA National Championship: (E3) Syracuse 81, (W2) Kansas 78". CNNSI.com. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
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