The 2003 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament was played from March 10 to March 15, 2003. The winner was named champion of the Atlantic 10 Conference and received an automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2003, and ended with the championship game on April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana...

. The University of Dayton

Dayton Flyers men's basketball

The Dayton Flyers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Ten Conference representing the University of Dayton. They are known for a rivalry with Xavier University, playing for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy each year.-History:The...

 won the tournament and got the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Xavier

Xavier Musketeers men's basketball

The Xavier Musketeers team is the basketball team that represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference...

 and Saint Joseph's

Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball

The Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represents Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Its home court is the Hagan Arena. The team's only Final Four appearance in 1961 was removed from the NCAA records due to a gambling scandal. Through...

 also received bids to the NCAA Tournament. Rhode Island

Rhode Island Rams

The Rhode Island Rams are the athletic programs of the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, USA. The school sponsors 18 athletic programs , most of which compete in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team, however, competes in the Colonial Athletic...

, Richmond

Richmond Spiders men's basketball

The Richmond Spiders men's basketball team represents the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia and currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference...

 and Temple

Temple Owls men's basketball

The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the Atlantic 10 Conference at the Division I level. The program is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The head men's basketball coach is Fran Dunphy.-History:...

 received bids to the 2003 National Invitation Tournament

2003 National Invitation Tournament

-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player....

. Ramod Marshall of Dayton was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Future NBA players Jameer Nelson

Jameer Nelson

Jameer Nelson is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the NBA. He played college basketball at Saint Joseph's University and was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets but was traded to the Orlando Magic, where he has played for his...

 of Saint Joseph's and David West

David West (basketball)

David Moorer West is an American professional basketball player who has most recently played with the NBA's New Orleans Hornets...

 of Xavier were among those joining Marshall on the All-Championship Team.

Format

The tournament was a single-elimination tournament. Seeding was determined by the regular season standings in each division. With the conference divided into East and West divisions, the top two teams in each division received a first-round bye.

St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure University

St. Bonaventure University is a private, Franciscan Catholic university, located in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students....

 was forced to forfeit its six conference wins after forward Jamil Terrell was declared academically ineligible. The Atlantic 10 also barred the Bonnies from participating in the conference tournament. The Bonnies would have been the fourth seed from the East Division. However, with their banishment from the tournament, West Division #3 seed Richmond

University of Richmond

The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...

 automatically got a first round bye.

The first round was played at the home arena of the higher seed. The remaining games were played at the University of Dayton Arena

University of Dayton Arena

University of Dayton Arena is a 13,455-seat multi-purpose arena in Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams....

 in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

.

Bracket