2002–03 Big East Conference men's basketball season

The 2002–03 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the 24th in conference history, and involved its 14 full-time member schools.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Player of the Year:

• Troy Bell, Boston College, G Sr.

Defensive Player of the Year:

• Emeka Okafor, Connecticut, C, So.

Rookie of the Year:

• Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, F, Fr.

Most Improved Player:

• Hakim Warrick, Syracuse, F, So.

Coach of the Year:

• 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.

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

• 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