2003 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
The 2003 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was the 47th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States.
| Teams | 64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals site | Lakeland Center Lakeland, Florida | ||||
| Champions | Northeastern State (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | |||||
| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Larry Gipson (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Darnell Hinson (Northeastern State) | ||||
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Officially culminating the 2002–03 NCAA Division II men's basketball season, the tournament featured, for the first time, sixty-four teams from around the country.
The Elite Eight, national semifinals, and championship were played, for the first time, at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida.
Northeastern State (32–3) defeated Kentucky Wesleyan in the final, 75–64, to win their first Division II national championship.
It was concurrently Kentucky Wesleyan's sixth straight appearance in the title game (winning in 1999 and 2001), although this appearance, along with that from 2002, would later be vacated by the NCAA.
The winning Redmen were coached by Larry Gipson. Northeastern State's Darnell Hinson was the Most Outstanding Player.