2002–03 Big East Conference men's basketball season
American college basketball season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2002–03 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the 24th in conference history, and involved its 14 full-time member schools.
| 2002–03 Big East Conference Men's Basketball Season | |
|---|---|
| |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | November 14, 2002 through March 15, 2003 |
| Teams | 14 |
| TV partner | ESPN |
| Regular Season | |
| Champion |
|
| Season MVP | Troy Bell – Boston College |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Pittsburgh |
| Finals MVP | Julius Page – Pittsburgh |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Connecticut | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 23 | – | 10 | .697 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's# | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 1 | – | 13 | .071 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 11 | – | 17 | .393 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech* | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 11 | – | 18 | .379 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Syracuse | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 30 | – | 5 | .857 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Pittsburgh† | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 28 | – | 5 | .848 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 17 | – | 13 | .567 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Notre Dame | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 24 | – | 10 | .706 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 19 | – | 15 | .559 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 14 | – | 15 | .483 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers* | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 12 | – | 16 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2003 Big East tournament winner As of March 31, 2003[1] Rankings from AP Poll #St. John's had 20 regular-season games vacated due to sanctions against the program; the school′s disputed record was 7–9, 21–13. *Did not qualify for 2003 Big East tournament. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boston College and Connecticut were the regular-season co-champions of the East Division with identical records of 10–6, and Pittsburgh and Syracuse were co-champions of the West Division with identical records of 13–3. Pittsburgh won the Big East tournament championship.
Syracuse won the national championship, and St. John's won the 2003 National Invitation Tournament.
Season summary & highlights
- For the third and final season, the Big East used a divisional structure with an East Division and a West Division, each composed of seven teams. The conference scrapped its divisions and moved to a unitary structure the following season.
- Boston College and Connecticut were the East Division regular-season co-champions with identical records of 10–6. It was Boston College's fifth regular-season championship or co-championship and third division championship or co-championship.[note 1] It was Connecticut's eighth regular-season championship or co-championship and fourth division championship or co-championship.[note 2]
- Pittsburgh and Syracuse were the regular-season co-champions of the West Division. It was Pittsburgh's fourth conference championship or co-championship and second division championship or co-championship. It was Syracuse's eighth conference championship or co-championship and second division championship or co-championship.[note 3]
- Pittsburgh won its first Big East tournament championship.
- Syracuse won its first national championship.
- Syracuse freshman forward Carmelo Anthony was both the top scorer and Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
- St. John's won the 2003 National Invitation Tournament, defeating Georgetown in the final. The following season, however, St. John's vacated 20 victories this season and its NIT championship due to sanctions imposed on the program because of the use of an ineligible player.
- St. John's senior guard Marcus Hatten was named Most Valuable Player of the 2003 NIT, but Hatten's award also was vacated the following season.
Head coaches
| School | Coach | Season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | Al Skinner | 6th | |
| Connecticut | Jim Calhoun | 17th | |
| Georgetown | Craig Esherick | 5th | |
| Miami | Perry Clark | 3rd | |
| Notre Dame | Mike Brey | 3rd | |
| Pittsburgh | Ben Howland | 4th | Resigned April 3, 2003 |
| Providence | Tim Welsh | 5th | |
| Rutgers | Gary Waters | 2nd | |
| St. John's | Mike Jarvis | 5th | |
| Seton Hall | Louis Orr | 2nd | Big East Coach of the Year |
| Syracuse | Jim Boeheim | 27th | |
| Villanova | Jay Wright | 2nd | |
| Virginia Tech | Ricky Stokes | 4th | Fired March 10, 2003 |
| West Virginia | John Beilein | 1st |
Rankings
Pittsburgh was ranked in the Associated Press poll Top 10 all season, reaching as high as No. 2 and finishing the season as No. 4. Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Syracuse also spent time in the AP Top 25 and were ranked in it at the end of the season.
| AP Poll[2] | Pre | 11/18 | 11/25 | 12/2 | 12/9 | 12/16 | 12/23 | 12/30 | 1/6 | 1/13 | 1/20 | 1/27 | 2/3 | 2/10 | 2/17 | 2/24 | 3/3 | 3/10 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | |||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 23 | ||||
| Georgetown | |||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | |||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 22 | ||||
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Providence | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | |||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | |||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 25 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Villanova | |||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | |||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia |
Regular-season statistical leaders
| Scoring | ||
| Name | School | PPG |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Bell | BC | 25.2 |
| Michael Sweetney | GU | 22.8 |
| Marcus Hatten | SJU | 22.2 |
| Carmelo Anthony | Syr | 22.2 |
| Drew Schifino | WVU | 20.1 |
| Rebounding | ||
| Name | School | RPG |
|---|---|---|
| Emeka Okafor | Conn | 11.2 |
| Michael Sweetney | GU | 10.4 |
| Carmelo Anthony | Syr | 10.0 |
| Ryan Gomes | Prov | 9.7 |
| Hakim Warrick | Syr | 8.5 |
| Assists | ||
| Name | School | APG |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Thomas | ND | 6.9 |
| Brandin Knight | Pitt | 6.3 |
| Andre Barrett | SHU | 5.3 |
| Taliek Brown | Conn | 4.8 |
| Ben Gordon | Conn | 4.7 |
| Steals | ||
| Name | School | SPG |
|---|---|---|
| Marcus Hatten | SJU | 2.9 |
| Troy Bell | BC | 2.3 |
| Gerry McNamara | Syr | 2.2 |
| Brandin Knight | Pitt | 2.1 |
| Jerome Coleman | RU | 1.9 |
| Blocks | ||
| Name | School | BPG |
|---|---|---|
| Emeka Okafor | Conn | 4.7 |
| Michael Sweetney | GU | 3.2 |
| Marcus Douthit | Prov | 3.0 |
| Herve Lamizana | RU | 3.0 |
| Jeremy McNeil | Syr | 2.9 |
| Field Goals | ||
| Name | School | FG% |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Smith | BC | .603 |
| Emeka Okafor | Conn | .580 |
| Michael Sweetney | GU | .547 |
| Hakim Warrick | Syr | .541 |
| Ryan Gomes | Prov | .537 |
| 3-Pt Field Goals | ||
| Name | School | 3FG% |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Buchanan | Vill | .409 |
| Matt Carroll | ND | .407 |
| Troy Bell | BC | .402 |
| Jerome Coleman | RU | .295 |
| No other qualifiers | ||
| Free Throws | ||
| Name | School | FT% |
|---|---|---|
| Gerry McNamara | Syr | .909 |
| Chris Thomas | ND | .871 |
| Troy Bell | BC | .847 |
| Matt Carroll | ND | .844 |
| Gerald Riley | GU | .843 |
Postseason
Big East tournament
Seeding
Two teams — the seventh-place finishers in each division based on conference record, after the application of tiebreakers as necessary — did not qualify for the Big East Tournament. The remaining six teams in each division were seeded No. 1 through No. 6 by division based on conference record, again applying tiebreakers as necessary. Four teams — the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in each division — received a bye into the quarterfinal round. Eight teams — the No. 3 through No. 6 seeds in each division — played in the first round. In the first round the No. 3 East seed played the No. 6 West seed, the No. 4 East seed played the No. 5 West seed, the No. 5 East seed played the No. 4 West seed, and the No. 6 East seed played the No. 3 West seed.
Seeding in the East Division was (1) Boston College, (2) Connecticut, (3) Providence, (4) Villanova, (5) St. John's, and (6) Miami. Seeding in the West Division was (1) Syracuse, (2) Pittsburgh, (3) Seton Hall, (4) Notre Dame, (5) Georgetown, and (6) West Virginia. The two seventh-place finishers that did not qualify for the tournament were Virginia Tech in the East Division and Rutgers in the West Division.
Bracket
| First round March 12, 2003 | Quarterfinals March 13, 2003 | Semifinals March 14, 2003 | Championship Game March 15, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | #11 Syracuse | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Georgetown | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Georgetown | 46 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Villanova | 41 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | #11 Syracuse | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Connecticut | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Connecticut | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Seton Hall | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Miami | 52 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Seton Hall | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Connecticut | 56 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | #5 Pittsburgh | 74 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston College | 82* | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | St. John's | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | St. John's | 83 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | #17 Notre Dame | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston College | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | #5 Pittsburgh | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | #5 Pittsburgh | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Providence | 57 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | West Virginia | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Providence | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
NCAA tournament
Four Big East teams received bids to the NCAA Tournament. Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh lost in the regional semifinals. Syracuse won the national championship. Syracuse freshman forward Carmelo Anthony scored 121 points during the tournament and was both its top scorer and Most Outstanding Player.
| School | Region | Seed | Round 1 | Round 2 | Sweet 16 | Elite 8 | Final Four | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | East | 3 | 14 Manhattan, W 76–65 | 6 Oklahoma State, W 68–56 | 10 Auburn, W 79–78 | 1 Oklahoma, W 63–47 | S1 Texas, W 95–84 | W2 Kansas, W 81–78 |
| Pittsburgh | Midwest | 2 | 15 Wagner, W 87–61 | 7 Indiana, W 74–52 | 3 Marquette, L 77–74 | |||
| Connecticut | South | 5 | 12 BYU, W 58–53 | 4 Stanford, W 85–74 | 1 Texas, L 82–78 | |||
| Notre Dame | West | 5 | 12 Milwaukee, W 70–69 | 4 Illinois, W 68–60 | 1 Arizona, L 88–71 |
National Invitation Tournament
Six Big East teams received bids to the National Invitation Tournament, which did not yet have seeding. They played in three of the tournament's four unnamed brackets. Villanova lost in the opening round and Boston College and Seton Hall in the first round. Georgetown defeated Providence in a second-round game. St. John's won the tournament championship, defeating Georgetown in the final.
The following season, St. John's center Abe Keita revealed that a member of the team's staff had paid him nearly $300 a month for the past four seasons, making him ineligible to play. As a result, St. John's took various actions, including vacating 43 wins in which Keita participated, among them the team's victories and eventual championship in the 2003 NIT. St. John's became the third team in the history of the NIT to be forced to vacate its standing in the tournament. St. John's senior guard Marcus Hatten was named the 2003 NIT's tournament Most Valuable Player, but this award also was vacated.
| School | Opening round | Round 1 | Round 2 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bye | Boston University, W 73–57 | Virginia, W 73–63 | UAB, W 79–71 | Texas Tech, W 64–63 | Georgetown, W 70–67 | |
| Georgetown | Bye | Tennessee, W 70–60 | Providence, W 67–58 | North Carolina, W 79–74 | Minnesota, W 88–74 | |
| Providence | Richmond, W 67–49 | College of Charleston, W 69–64 | Georgetown, L 67–58 | |||
| Seton Hall | Bye | Rhode Island, L 61–60 | ||||
| Boston College | Fairfield, W 90–78 | Temple, L 75–62 | ||||
| Villanova | Siena, L 74–59 |
Awards and honors
Big East Conference
- Troy Bell, Boston College, G Sr.
- Emeka Okafor, Connecticut, C, So.
- Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, F, Fr.
- Hakim Warrick, Syracuse, F, So.
- Louis Orr, Seton Hall (2nd season)
All-Big East First Team
- Troy Bell, Boston College, G Sr., 6 ft 1 in (185 cm), 180 lb (82 kg), Minneapolis, Minn.
- Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, F, Fr., 6 ft 8 in (203 cm), 230 lb (104 kg), New York, N.Y.
- Emeka Okafor, Connecticut, C, So., 6 ft 10 in (208 cm), 252 lb (114 kg), Houston, Tex.
- Michael Sweetney, Georgetown, F Jr., 6 ft 8 in (203 cm), 275 lb (125 kg), Oxon Hill, Md.
- Marcus Hatten, St. John's, G Sr., 6 ft 1 in (185 cm), 165 lb (75 kg), Baltimore, Md.
- Matt Carroll, Notre Dame, G Sr., 6 ft 6 in (198 cm), 212 lb (96 kg), Horsham, Pa.
All-Big East Second Team:
- Brandin Knight, Pittsburgh, G Sr., 6 ft 0 in (183 cm), 180 lb (82 kg), East Orange, N.J.
- Andre Barrett, Seton Hall, G Jr., 5 ft 10 in (178 cm), 172 lb (78 kg), The Bronx, N.Y.
- Ryan Gomes, Providence, F, So., 6 ft 7 in (201 cm), 250 lb (113 kg), Waterbury, Conn.
- Craig Smith, Boston College, F, Fr., 6 ft 7 in (201 cm), 250 lb (113 kg), Inglewood, Calif.
- Chris Thomas, Notre Dame, G, So., 6 ft 1 in (185 cm), 190 lb (86 kg), Indianapolis, Ind.
- Ben Gordon, Connecticut, G, So., 6 ft 3 in (191 cm), 200 lb (91 kg), Mount Vernon, N.Y.
All-Big East Third Team:
- Chevon Troutman, Pittsburgh, F, So., 6 ft 7 in (201 cm), 240 lb (109 kg), Williamsport, Pa.
- Julius Page, Pittsburgh, G Jr., 6 ft 3 in (191 cm), 191 lb (87 kg), Buffalo, N.Y.
- Darius Rice, Miami, F Jr., 6 ft 10 in (208 cm), 222 lb (101 kg), Jackson, Miss.
- Hakim Warrick, Syracuse, F, So., 6 ft 9 in (206 cm), 219 lb (99 kg), Philadelphia, Pa.
- Drew Schifino, West Virginia, F, So., 6 ft 3 in (191 cm), 215 lb (98 kg), Pittsburgh, Pa.
Big East All-Rookie Team:
- Craig Smith, Boston College, F, Fr., 6 ft 7 in (201 cm), 250 lb (113 kg), Inglewood, Calif.
- Torin Francis, Notre Dame, F, Fr., 6 ft 11 in (211 cm), 252 lb (114 kg), Boston, Mass.
- Donnie McGrath, Providence, G, Fr., 6 ft 4 in (193 cm), 190 lb (86 kg), Katonah, N.Y.
- Kelly Whitney, Seton Hall, F, Fr., 6 ft 8 in (203 cm), 240 lb (109 kg), Chicago, Ill.
- Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, F, Fr., 6 ft 8 in (203 cm), 230 lb (104 kg), New York, N.Y.
- Gerry McNamara, Syracuse, G, Fr., 6 ft 2 in (188 cm), 182 lb (83 kg), Scranton, Pa.
- Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia, C, Fr., 6 ft 11 in (211 cm), 255 lb (116 kg), Martinsburg, W.Va.
All-Americans
The following players were selected to the 2003 Associated Press All-America teams.
Consensus All-America Second Team:
- Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, Key Stats: 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 45.3 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 778 points
- Troy Bell, Boston College, Key Stats: 25.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg, 44.1 FG%, 40.2 3P%, 781 points
Second Team All-America:
- Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, Key Stats: 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 45.3 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 778 points
- Troy Bell, Boston College, Key Stats: 25.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg, 44.1 FG%, 40.2 3P%, 781 points
AP Honorable Mention
- Matt Carroll, Notre Dame
- Brandin Knight, Pittsburgh
- Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
- Michael Sweetney, Georgetown
- Chris Thomas, Notre Dame
See also
- 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
- 2002–03 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
- 2002–03 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team
- 2002–03 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
- 2002–03 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team
- 2002–03 St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team
- 2002–03 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team
Notes
- Under an earlier Big East divisional structure Boston College won a Big East 6 Division co-championship in the 1996–97 season, and it also won the East Division title outright in the 2000–01 season.
- Under an earlier Big East divisional structure Connecticut won two outright Big East 6 Division championships, in the 1995–96 and 1997–98 season, and it also won the East Division title outright in the 2001–02 season.
- Under an earlier Big East divisional structure Syracuse won an outright Big East 7 Division championship in the 1997–98 season.