2002–03 UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2002–03 UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Asheville during the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by head coach Eddie Biedenbach, played their home games at the Justice Center and were members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 7–7 in Big South play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Elon, Winthrop, and Radford to become champions of the Big South tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament – the first appearance in program history. The Bulldogs were one of two No. 16 seeds in the South region, defeating Texas Southern[1] to reach the field of 64. UNC Asheville was eliminated in the first round by No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Texas.[2]

2002–03 UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceBig South Conference
Record15–17 (7–7 Big South)
Head coach
Home arenaJustice Center
2002–03 Big South Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Winthrop11–3 .78620–10  .667
Charleston Southern8–6 .57114–14  .500
Liberty8–6 .57114–15  .483
Elon8–6 .57112–15  .444
UNC Asheville †7–7 .50015–17  .469
Radford6–8 .42910–20  .333
Coastal Carolina5–9 .35713–15  .464
High Point3–11 .2147–20  .259
† 2003 Big South tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster
2002–03 UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
G 10 Andre Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) Sr Miami, Florida
G 11 Alex Kragel 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) Sr Morristown, Tennessee
F 15 Bryan McCullough 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) So Salisbury, North Carolina
C 41 Ben McGonagil 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)260 lb (118 kg) Sr Panama, Florida
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    [3]

    Schedule and results

    [4]

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    Nov 22, 2002*
    		 at No. 9 Michigan State L 52–66  0–1
    		 Breslin Student Events Center 
    East Lansing, Michigan
    Nov 24, 2002*
    		 at No. 24 Minnesota L 81–87  0–2
    		 Williams Arena 
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Dec 7, 2002*
    		 at East Tennessee State L 69–87  2–3
    		 Memorial Center 
    Johnson City, Tennessee
    Dec 21, 2002*
    		 at No. 8 Connecticut L 67–117  3–4
    		 Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
    Storrs, Connecticut
    Dec 22, 2002*
    		 at Holy Cross L 53–84  3–5
    		 Hart Center 
    Worcester, Massachusetts
    Dec 30, 2002*
    		 at No. 10 Oklahoma L 64–100  3–6
    		 Lloyd Noble Center 
    Norman, Oklahoma
    Jan 2, 2003*
    		 at No. 18 Kansas L 50–102  3–7
    		 Allen Fieldhouse 
    Lawrence, Kansas
    Mar 1, 2003
    		 Winthrop L 65–76  11–16
    (7–7)    		 Justice Center 
    Asheville, North Carolina
    Big South tournament
    Mar 4, 2003*
    		 at Elon
    Quarterfinals    		 W 68–66 OT 12–16
    		 Alumni Gym 
    Elon, North Carolina
    Mar 7, 2003*
    		 vs. Winthrop
    Semifinals    		 W 81–80 OT 13–16
    		 Vines Center 
    Lynchburg, Virginia
    Mar 8, 2003*
    		 vs. Radford
    Championship game    		 W 85–71  14–16
    		 Vines Center 
    Lynchburg, Virginia
    NCAA tournament
    Mar 18, 2003*
    		 (16 S) vs. (16 S) Texas Southern
    Play-in game    		 W 92–84 OT 15–16
    		 University of Dayton Arena 
    Dayton, Ohio
    Mar 21, 2003*
    		 (16 W) vs. (1 S) No. 5 Texas
    First round    		 L 61–82  15–17
    		 BJCC Arena 
    Birmingham, Alabama
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    S=South Region.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    References
    1. "Smith scores 10 of his 28 points in OT for UNC-Asheville". ESPN. March 20, 2003. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
    2. "Texas, Purdue Run It Up". The Washington Post. March 22, 2003. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
    3. "2002-03 Men's Basketball Roster". UNC Asheville Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
    4. "2002-03 Men's Basketball Schedule". UNC Asheville Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
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