2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Introduction The '''2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season''' began on November 9, 2001, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 1, 2002 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Maryland Terrapins won their first NCAA national championship with a 64–52 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.
Season headlines * The preseason AP All-American team was named on November 6.Jason Williams of Duke was the unanimous leading vote-getter (72 of 72 votes). The rest of the team included Kareem Rush of Missouri (47 votes), Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky (46), Casey Jacobsen of Stanford (45) and Frank Williams of Illinois (31). * Jason Conley of Virginia Military Institute becomes the first freshman ever to win the season scoring title, averaging 29.3 points in 28 games. * Senior John Linehan of Providence becomes the all-time Division I steals leader with 385 for his career, while fellow senior Desmond Cambridge of Alabama A&M coincidentally finishes his career with the second highest steals total of 377. * March 1 – Sophomore Ronald Blackshear of Marshall ties an NCAA record by making 11 consecutive three-point shots in a game against Akron, but also makes 14 total in the second-highest single game output in NCAA history.
Major rule changes Beginning in 2001–02, the following rules changes were implemented:* Both direct and indirect technical fouls penalized by two shots and returned to point of interruption. * Officials could check an official courtside monitor to determine if a try was a three- or two-point attempt, regardless of whether the try was successful.
Season outlook === Pre-season polls ===The top 25 from the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls November 5, 2001. '''Associated Press'''RankingTeam1Duke (61)2Maryland (6)3Illinois (2)4Kentucky (3)5UCLA6Florida7Kansas8Missouri9Iowa10St. Joseph's11Virginia12Memphis13Stanford14Georgetown15Michigan State16Temple17Boston College18Oklahoma State19North Carolina20Southern California21Syracuse22Indiana23Texas24Alabama25Oklahoma '''ESPN/USA Today Coaches'''RankingTeam1Duke (30)2Illinois (1)3Maryland4Kentucky5Florida6UCLA7Kansas8Iowa9Missouri10St. Joseph's11Virginia12Michigan State13Memphis14Georgetown15Stanford16Boston College17Temple18Oklahoma State19North Carolina20Syracuse21Indiana22Texas23Oklahoma24Southern California25Fresno State
Conference membership changes These schools joined new conferences for the 2001–02 season.SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Albany NCAA Division I Independent America East Conference American Colonial Athletic Association Patriot League Belmont NCAA Division I Independent Atlantic Sun Conference Binghamton NCAA Division II America East Conference Birmingham–Southern NAIA Big South Conference Boise State Big West Conference Western Athletic Conference Cal State Northridge Big Sky Conference Big West Conference Delaware America East Conference Colonial Athletic Association Drexel America East Conference Colonial Athletic Association East Carolina Colonial Athletic Association Conference USA Hofstra America East Conference Colonial Athletic Association IPFW NCAA Division II NCAA Division I Independent Louisiana Tech Sun Belt Conference Western Athletic Conference Morris Brown NCAA Division II NCAA Division I Independent Richmond Colonial Athletic Association Atlantic 10 Conference Stony Brook NCAA Division I Independent America East Conference TCU Western Athletic Conference Conference USA Towson America East Conference Colonial Athletic Association UC Riverside NCAA Division II Big West Conference Youngstown State Mid-Continent Conference Horizon League
Regular season === Conference winners and tournaments ===ConferenceRegular  Season WinnerConference  Player of the YearConference  TournamentTournament  Venue (City)Tournament  winnerAmerica East Conference  Vermont  T. J. Sorrentine, Vermont  2002 America East men's basketball tournament  Matthews Arena(Boston, Massachusetts)(Except Finals)  Boston UniversityAtlantic 10 Conference  Temple & St. Joseph's (East)Xavier (West)  David West, Xavier  2002 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament  The Spectrum (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)  XavierAtlantic Coast Conference  Maryland  Juan Dixon, Maryland  2002 ACC men's basketball tournament  Charlotte Coliseum(Charlotte, North Carolina)  DukeAtlantic Sun Conference  Georgia State & Troy  Thomas Terrell, Georgia State   2002 Atlantic Sun men's basketball tournament  UCF Arena(Orlando, Florida)  Florida AtlanticBig 12 Conference  Kansas  Drew Gooden, Kansas  2002 Big 12 men's basketball tournament  Kemper Arena(Kansas City, Missouri)  OklahomaBig East Conference  Connecticut (East)Pittsburgh (West)  Caron Butler, Connecticut &Brandin Knight, Pittsburgh  2002 Big East men's basketball tournament  Madison Square Garden(New York City)  ConnecticutBig Sky Conference  Montana State  Jason Erickson, Montana State  2002 Big Sky men's basketball tournament  Brick Breeden Fieldhouse(Bozeman, Montana)  MontanaBig South Conference  Winthrop  Greg Lewis, Winthrop  2002 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament  Roanoke Civic Center(Roanoke, Virginia)  WinthropBig Ten Conference  Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana & Wisconsin  Jared Jeffries, Indiana  2002 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament  Conseco Fieldhouse(Indianapolis, Indiana)  Ohio StateBig West Conference  Utah State & UC Irvine  Jerry Green, UC Irvine  2002 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament  Anaheim Convention Center(Anaheim, California)  UC Santa BarbaraColonial Athletic Association  UNC Wilmington  Brett Blizzard, UNC Wilmington  2002 CAA men's basketball tournament  Richmond Coliseum(Richmond, Virginia)  UNC WilmingtonConference USA  Cincinnati (American) Memphis (National)  Steve Logan, Cincinnati  2002 Conference USA men's basketball tournament  Firstar Center(Cincinnati, Ohio)  CincinnatiHorizon League  Butler  Rylan Hainje, Butler  2002 Horizon League men's basketball tournament  CSU Convocation Center(Cleveland, Ohio)  Illinois-ChicagoIvy League  Penn, Yale & Princeton  Ugonna Onyekwe, Penn No Tournament (Penn received NCAA automatic bid via three-way playoff)Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference  Rider & Marist  Mario Porter, Rider  2002 MAAC men's basketball tournament  Pepsi Arena(Albany, New York)  SienaMid-American Conference  Kent State (East)Ball State (West)  Keith McLeod, Bowling Green  2002 MAC men's basketball tournament  Gund Arena(Cleveland, Ohio) Kent StateMid-Continent Conference  Valparaiso  Luboš Bartoň, Valparaiso  2002 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament  Allen County War Memorial Coliseum(Fort Wayne, Indiana)  ValparaisoMid-Eastern Athletic Conference  Hampton  Tommy Adams, Hampton  2002 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament  Richmond Coliseum(Richmond, Virginia)  HamptonMissouri Valley Conference  Southern Illinois  Kyle Korver, Creighton  2002 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament  Savvis Center(St. Louis, Missouri)  CreightonMountain West Conference  Wyoming  Britton Johnsen, Utah  2002 MWC men's basketball tournament  Thomas & Mack Center(Paradise, Nevada)  San Diego StateNortheast Conference  Central Connecticut State  Corsley Edwards,  Central Connecticut State  2002 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament  Campus Sites  Central Connecticut StateOhio Valley Conference  Tennessee Tech  Henry Domercant, Eastern Illinois  2002 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament  Kentucky International Convention Center(Louisville, Kentucky)(Semifinals and Finals)  Murray StatePacific-10 Conference  Oregon  Sam Clancy Jr., USC  2002 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament  Staples Center(Los Angeles)  ArizonaPatriot League  American  Patrick Doctor, American  2002 Patriot League men's basketball tournament  Campus Sites  Holy CrossSoutheastern Conference  Florida, Kentucky & Georgia (East) Alabama (West)  Erwin Dudley, Alabama  2002 SEC men's basketball tournament  Georgia Dome(Atlanta, Georgia)  Mississippi StateSouthern Conference  Davidson, UNC Greensboro & East Tennessee State (North)Charleston, Georgia Southern and Chattanooga (South)  Dimeco Childress, ETSU (Coaches) Jason Conley, VMI (Media)  2002 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament  North Charleston Coliseum(North Charleston, South Carolina)  DavidsonSouthland Conference  McNeese State  McEverett Powers, Texas-San Antonio  2002 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament  Burton Coliseum(Lake Charles, Louisiana)(Finals)  McNeese StateSouthwestern Athletic Conference  Alcorn State  Paul Haynes, Grambling State  2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament  Fair Park Arena(Birmingham, Alabama)  Alcorn StateSun Belt Conference  Western Kentucky (East)Louisiana–Lafayette (West)  Héctor Romero, New Orleans  2002 Sun Belt men's basketball tournament  Lakefront Arena(New Orleans, Louisiana)  Western KentuckyWest Coast Conference  Gonzaga  Dan Dickau, Gonzaga  2002 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament  Jenny Craig Pavilion(San Diego)  GonzagaWestern Athletic Conference  Tulsa  Melvin Ely, Fresno State  2002 WAC men's basketball tournament  Reynolds Center(Tulsa, Oklahoma)  Hawaii=== Statistical leaders === Source for additional stats categories              Player  School  PPG    Player  School  RPG    Player  School  APG    Player  School  SPG Jason Conley  VMI  29.3   Jeremy Bishop  Quinnipiac  12.0   T. J. Ford  Texas  8.3   Desmond Cambridge  Alabama A&M  5.5 Henry Domercant  E. Illinois  26.4   Bruce Jenkins  NC A&T  11.8   Steve Blake  Maryland  7.9   John Linehan  Providence  4.5 Mire Chatman  TX-Pan American  26.2   Curtis Borchardt  Stanford  11.4   Edward Scott  Clemson  7.9   Mire Chatman  TX-Pan American  3.6 J. R. Bremer  St. Bonaventure  24.6    Drew Gooden  Kansas  11.4   Sean Kennedy  Marist  7.9    Marques Green  St. Bonaventure  3.4 Melvin Ely  Fresno St.  23.3   Corey Jackson  Nevada  11.1   Chris Thomas  Notre Dame  7.6   Marcus Hatten  St. John's  3.3              Player  School  BPG    Player  School  FG%    Player  School  3FG%    Player  School  FT% Wojciech Myrda  LA-Monroe  5.4   Adam Mark  Belmont  70.8   Dante Swanson  Tulsa  49.0   Cary Cochran  Nebraska  92.2 D'or Fischer  Northwestern St.  4.4   Carlos Boozer  Duke  66.5   Cain Doliboa  Wright St.  47.9    Gary Buchanan  Villanova  91.1 Emeka Okafor  UConn  4.1   David Harrison  Colorado  63.8   Jake Sullivan  Iowa St.  47.2   Cain Doliboa  Wright St.  90.9 Justin Rowe  Maine  4.0   Rolan Roberts  S. Illinois  60.4   Jeff Boschee  Kansas  46.4   Salim Stoudamire  Arizona  90.4 Deng Gai  Fairfield  4.0   Jermaine Hall  Wagner  60.0   Ray Abellard  C. Florida  46.2   Jake Sullivan  Iowa St.  90.0
Post-season tournaments === NCAA tournament ======= Final Four – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia ======= National Invitation tournament ====== Semifinals & finals ===* Third Place – Temple 65, Syracuse 64
Award winners === Consensus All-American teams ===+ '''Consensus First Team''' Player Position Class Team Dan Dickau G Senior Gonzaga Juan Dixon G Senior Maryland Drew Gooden F JuniorKansas Steve Logan G SeniorCincinnati Jason Williams G JuniorDuke+ '''Consensus Second Team''' Player Position Class Team Sam Clancy Jr. F Senior Southern California Mike Dunleavy Jr. F Junior Duke Casey Jacobsen G/F Junior Stanford Jared Jeffries F Sophomore Indiana David West F Junior Xavier=== Major player of the year awards ===* '''Wooden Award:''' Jason Williams, Duke* '''Naismith Award:''' Jason Williams, Duke* '''Associated Press Player of the Year:''' Jason Williams, Duke* '''NABC Player of the Year:''' Drew Gooden, Kansas & Jason Williams, Duke* '''Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA):''' Jason Williams, Duke* '''Adolph Rupp Trophy:''' Jason Williams, Duke* '''''Sporting News'' Player of the Year:''' Jason Williams, Duke=== Major freshman of the year awards ===* '''USBWA Freshman of the Year:''' T. J. Ford, Texas* '''''Sporting News'' Freshman of the Year:''' Maurice Williams, Alabama=== Major coach of the year awards ===* '''Associated Press Coach of the Year:''' Ben Howland, Pittsburgh* '''Henry Iba Award (USBWA):''' Ben Howland, Pittsburgh* '''NABC Coach of the Year:''' Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma* '''Naismith College Coach of the Year:''' Ben Howland, Pittsburgh* '''CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year:''' Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma* '''''Sporting News'' Coach of the Year:''' Ben Howland, Pittsburgh=== Other major awards ===* '''Pete Newell Big Man Award (Best big man):''' Drew Gooden, Kansas* '''NABC Defensive Player of the Year:''' John Linehan, Providence* '''Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0):''' Steve Logan, Cincinnati* '''Lowe's Senior CLASS Award (top senior):''' Juan Dixon, Maryland* '''Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5):''' Lynn Greer, Temple* '''NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area):''' Marcus Hatten, St. John's* '''Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award (Strong personal character):''' Juan Dixon, Maryland
Coaching changes
References