2003 Big East men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season2002–03
Teams12
SiteMadison Square Garden
New York City
ChampionsPittsburgh (1st title)
Winning coachBen Howland (1st title)
MVPJulius Page (Pittsburgh)
Top scorersCarmelo Anthony (Syracuse)
Ben Gordon (Connecticut)
(50 points)
2002–03 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
East
Boston College10–6 .62519–12  .613
No. 23 Connecticut10–6 .62523–10  .697
Providence8–8 .50018–14  .563
Villanova8–8 .50015–16  .484
St. John's7–9 .43821–13  .618
Miami4–12 .25011–17  .393
Virginia Tech*4–12 .25011–18  .379
West
No. 13 Syracuse13–3 .81330–5  .857
No. 4 Pittsburgh†13–3 .81328–5  .848
Seton Hall10–6 .62517–13  .567
No. 22 Notre Dame10–6 .62524–10  .706
Georgetown6–10 .37519–15  .559
West Virginia5–11 .31314–15  .483
Rutgers*4–12 .25012–16  .429
† 2003 Big East tournament winner
As of March 31, 2003[1]
Rankings from AP Poll
*Did not qualify for 2003 Big East tournament

The 2003 Big East men's basketball tournament, a part of the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 12–15, 2003 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Its winner will receive the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA tournament. It was a single-elimination tournament with four rounds and the four highest seeds (two from each Big East division) receive byes in the first round. The 6 Big East teams with the best conference records from both the East and West Divisions of the Big East Conference were invited to participate. Boston College, who had an identical 10–6 record as Connecticut, received the #1 seed from the East Division due to a tie breaker. Likewise, Syracuse, who had an identical 13–3 conference record to Pitt, received the #1 seed from West Division due to tiebreakers. Virginia Tech from the East Division and Rutgers from the West Division failed to make the tournament.[2]
Pittsburgh defeated Connecticut, 74–56, in the finals to earn its first Big East tournament championship.

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

* denotes an overtime (OT) period

Note: By finishing in last place during the regular season in their respective divisions, Virginia Tech and Rutgers did not qualify for the tournament.

Championship game

On March 15, Pittsburgh won their first-ever Big East tournament, defeating Connecticut 74–56. They led by one at half-time, but quickly extended their lead in the second half. Jaron Brown led the Panthers with a career-high 19 points. Brown converted all six of his free throw attempts and was 6-of-9 from the field. He added ten rebounds to notch his fourth career double-double. Julius Page and Brandin Knight finished with 16 points apiece, and Chevon Troutman had 12. Page, a junior, averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds on 47.1 percent shooting (16-for-37) in the three tournament games. He won the Tournament MVP award. Knight averaged 12.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 steals, and 3.3 rebounds in the tournament.

It was the third straight title game reached for Pittsburgh. Howland and the Panthers lost to Uconn in double overtime in 2002. It tied the largest margin of victory for a Panther team in the Big East tournament. They also defeated Boston College by eighteen, winning 88–70 on March 8, 2000. The win was Pittsburgh's ninth in a row, tying their season high. They also won nine in a row to begin the season.[3]

Awards

Dave Gavitt Trophy (Most Outstanding Player): Julius Page, Pittsburgh

All-Tournament Team

References

  1. ↑ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-east/2003.html
  2. ↑ 2007–08 Big East Media Guide
  3. ↑ "Game recap & notes – Pittsburghpanthers.com". Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
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