| 2002–03 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season | |
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| League: | NCAA Division I |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Pixels: | 200px |
| No Of Teams: | 13 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Season Champ Name: | Champions |
| League Champs: | Central Michigan |
| Second Place: | Kent State |
| Mvp: | Chris Kaman |
| Mvp Link: | Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year |
| Finals: | Tournament |
| Finals Link: | 2003 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament |
| Finals Champ: | Central Michigan |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Kent State |
| Finals Mvp: | Chris Kaman |
| Finals Mvp Link: | Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament |
| Seasonslist: | List of Mid-American men's basketball seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | Mid-American men's basketball |
| Prevseason Year: | 2001–02 |
| Nextseason Year: | 2003–04 |
The 2002–03 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2002, followed by the start of the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2003 and concluded in March 2003. Central Michigan won the regular season title with a conference record of 14–4 by two games over second-place Kent State. Central Michigan defeated Kent State in the MAC tournament final and represented the MAC in the NCAA tournament.[1] There they defeated Creighton in the first round before losing to Duke.[2] [3]
The preseason poll was announced by the league office on October 24, 2002.[4]
(First place votes in parentheses)
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason All-MAC East | Brandon Hunter, Ohio |
| Antonio Gates, Kent State | |
| Andy Hipsher, Akron | |
| Ronald Blackshear, Marshall | |
| Juby Johnson, Miami | |
| Preseason All-MAC West | Theron Smith, Ball State |
| Chris Kaman, Central Michigan | |
| Ricky Cottrill, Eastern Michigan | |
| Nick Moore, Toledo | |
| Robby Collum, Western Michigan |
See main article: 2003 MAC men's basketball tournament.
See main article: 2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Postseason All-MAC First Team | Chris Williams, Ball State |
| Chris Kaman, Central Michigan | |
| Antonio Gates, Kent State | |
| Marcus Smallwood, Northern Illinois | |
| Brandon Hunter, Ohio | |
| Postseason All-MAC Second Team | Derrick Tarver, Akron |
| Mike Manciel, Central Michigan | |
| Ryan Prillman, Eastern Michigan | |
| Ronald Blackshear, Marshall | |
| Juby Johnson, Miami | |
| Postseason All-MAC Honorable Mention | Johnny Hollingsworth, Akron |
| Kevin Netter, Bowling Green | |
| Turner Battle, Buffalo | |
| J.R. Wallace, Central Michigan | |
| Eric Haut, Miami | |
| P.J. Smith, Northern Illinois | |
| Nick Moore, Toledo | |
| Keith Triplett, Toledo | |
| Robby Collum, Western Michigan | |
| Anthony Kann, Western Michigan | |
| All-MAC Freshman Team | Sammy Villegas, Toledo |
| Ron Lewis, Bowling Green | |
| Josh Hausfeld, Miami | |
| DeAndre Haynes, Kent State | |
| Todd Peterson, Northern Illinois | |
2002–03 Mid-American Conference women's basketball season