2002–03 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 2002–03 Southern Illinois Salukis Basketball 175 Missouri Valley Conference MVC 24–7 16–2 Bruce Weber 5th Matt Painter Chris Lowery SIU Arena MVC Regular season champion NCAA tournament First Round The 2002–03 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis were led by fifth-year head coach Bruce Weber and played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 16–2 in MVC play to finish as regular season champion. They lost in the championship game of the MVC tournament to Creighton, but still received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the Midwest region. The Salukis fell to No. 6 seed Missouri in the opening round. Roster 2002 Southern Illinois Salukis y y Darren Brooks y 1 G 6 3 205 So St. Louis, Missouri Jennings Brad Korn y 13 F 6 9 195 JR Oswego, IL Josh Warren 21 C 6 8 255 SO Washington, MO Jermaine Dearman 23 F 6 8 220 JR Indianapolis, IN Kent Williams 33 G 6 2 180 JR Mt. Vernon, IL Bruce Weber (Milwaukee) https://siusalukis.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2002-03 Schedule and results yes no |- !colspan=12 style=Southern Illinois Salukis| Non-conference regular season Nov 24, 2002 yes George Mason SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 83–74 1–0 Nov 27, 2002 yes Colorado State SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 83–71 2–0 Dec 3, 2002 yes 2002 men Murray State Racers Murray State SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 85–56 3–0 Dec 7, 2002 yes yes 2002 men Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Southeast Missouri State Show Me Center Cape Girardeau, Missouri 85–69 4–0 Dec 14, 2002 yes yes 2002 men UIC Flames Illinois-Chicago UIC Pavilion Chicago, Illinois 71–73 4–1 Dec 18, 2002 yes yes 2002 men Charlotte 49ers Charlotte Dale F. Halton Arena Charlotte, North Carolina 67–80 4–2 Dec 22, 2002 yes 2002 men Cal State Northridge Matadors Cal State Northridge SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 86–74 5–2 Dec 28, 2002 yes yes 2002 men Saint Louis Billikens Saint Louis Savvis Center St. Louis, Missouri 60–71 5–3 |- !colspan=12 style=Southern Illinois Salukis| Missouri Valley regular season Jan 2, 2003 2002 men Drake Bulldogs Drake SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 76–63 6–3 1–0 Jan 4, 2003 Illinois State SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 74–65 7–3 2–0 Jan 8, 2003 yes 2002 men Evansville Purple Aces Evansville Roberts Stadium Evansville, Indiana 90–84 8–3 3–0 Jan 11, 2003 yes 2002 men Indiana State Sycamores Indiana State Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 69–61 9–3 4–0 Jan 15, 2003 2002 men Wichita State Shockers Wichita State SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 69–64 10–3 5–0 Jan 18, 2003 yes Creighton 13 Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha, Nebraska 76–85 10–4 5–1 Jan 22, 2003 yes 2002 men Northern Iowa Panthers Northern Iowa UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, Iowa 88–78 OT 11–4 6–1 Jan 25, 2003 Indiana State SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 60–48 12–4 7–1 Jan 29, 2003 2002 men Bradley Braves Bradley SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 75–72 13–4 8–1 Feb 1, 2003 yes Wichita State Kansas Coliseum Wichita, Kansas 94–59 14–4 9–1 Feb 6, 2003 yes Drake Knapp Center Des Moines, Iowa 65–64 15–4 10–1 Feb 8, 2003 yes 2002 men Missouri State Bears Missouri State Hammons Student Center Springfield, Missouri 76–75 16–4 11–1 Feb 13, 2003 Northern Iowa SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 72–61 17–4 12–1 Feb 15, 2003 yes Bradley Carver Arena Peoria, Illinois 73–77 OT 17–5 12–2 Feb 19, 2003 Missouri State SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 74–69 18–5 13–2 Feb 22, 2003 yes UW–Milwaukee SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois Bracket Buster 66–64 19–5 Feb 26, 2003 Evansville SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 76–64 20–5 14–2 Mar 1, 2003 Creighton 17 SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 70–62 21–5 15–2 Mar 3, 2003 yes Illinois State Redbird Arena Normal, Illinois 78–62 22–5 16–2 |- !colspan=12 style=Southern Illinois Salukis| Missouri Valley tournament Mar 8, 2003 yes yes Illinois State Savvis Center St. Louis, Missouri Quarterfinals 75–63 23–5 Mar 9, 2003 yes yes Missouri State Savvis Center St. Louis, Missouri Semifinals 64–55 24–5 Mar 10, 2003 yes yes Creighton 19 Savvis Center St. Louis, Missouri Championship game 56–80 24–6 |- !colspan=12 style=Southern Illinois Salukis| NCAA tournament Mar 20, 2003 yes yes 11 MW Missouri 24 6 MW RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana First round 71–72Missouri Gets a Foul Victory https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-21-sp-midwestgames21-story.html The Los Angeles Times March 21, 2003 February 26, 2023 24–7 AP poll Central Time MW Midwest Rankings 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 1119–1120 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 References 2002-03 Category:2002–03 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season Category:2003 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament participants Category:2002 in sports in Illinois Category:2003 in sports in Illinois