2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
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. The rest of the team included Kareem Rush of Missouri, Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky, Casey Jacobsen of Stanford and Frank Williams of Illinois.
- 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
- 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.Conference membership changes
These schools joined new conferences for the 2001–02 season.| School | Former conference | New 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 |
| 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
Statistical leaders
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
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 : 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 : 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 : Drew Gooden, Kansas
- NABC Defensive Player of the Year: John Linehan, Providence
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award : Steve Logan, Cincinnati
- Lowe's Senior CLASS Award : Juan Dixon, Maryland
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy : Lynn Greer, Temple
- NIT/Haggerty Award : Marcus Hatten, St. John's
Coaching changes