# 2002 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament

The 2002 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was the 28th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division III collegiate basketball in the United States.
The field contained forty-eight teams, and each program was allocated to one of four sectionals. All sectional games were played on campus sites, while the national semifinals, third-place final, and championship finals were contested at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.
Otterbein defeated Elizabethtown, 102–83, in the championship, clinching their first national title.
The Cardinals (30–3) were coached by Dick Reynolds.
Jeff Gibbs, also from Otterbein, was named Most Outstanding Player.

## Bracket
### Top left sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| | | St. Thomas (MN) | 85 | | | | | |
| | | UW–Oshkosh | 88* | | | | | |
| UW–Oshkosh | 71 | UW–Oshkosh | 88* | | | | | |
| Ripon | 56 | | | | | | | |
| Ripon | 56 | | | UW–Oshkosh | 71 | | | |
| | | | | Lewis & Clark | 79 | | | |
| Lewis & Clark | 81 | | | | | Lewis & Clark | 79 | |
| Claremont–Mudd–Scripps | 59 | | | | | | | |
| Claremont–Mudd–Scripps | 59 | Lewis & Clark | 70 | | | | | |
| | | Mississippi College | 57 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Lewis & Clark | 70 |
| | | | | | | | Carthage | 85 |
| | | Carthage | 63 | | | | | |
| | | Hope | 57 | | | | | |
| St. Norbert | 53 | Hope | 57 | | | | | |
| Hope | 54 | | | | | | | |
| Hope | 54 | | | Carthage | 71 | | | |
| | | | | Buena Vista | 65 | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 74 | | | | | Buena Vista | 65 | |
| Edgewood | 65 | | | | | | | |
| Edgewood | 65 | Gustavus Adolphus | 88 | | | | | |
| | | Buena Vista | 60 | | | | | |

### Bottom left sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| | | Washington–St. Louis | 71 | | | | | |
| | | Maryville (TN) | 57 | | | | | |
| Maryville (TN) | 70 | Maryville (TN) | 57 | | | | | |
| Webster | 45 | | | | | | | |
| Webster | 45 | | | Washington–St. Louis | 87 | | | |
| | | | | DePauw | 90 | | | |
| Wittenberg | 75 | | | | | DePauw | 90 | |
| Franklin | 44 | | | | | | | |
| Franklin | 44 | Wittenberg | 76 | | | | | |
| | | DePauw | 89 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | DePauw | 79 |
| | | | | | | | Otterbein | 87 |
| | | Randolph–Macon | 79 | | | | | |
| | | Lycoming | 62 | | | | | |
| Gettysburg | 59 | Lycoming | 62 | | | | | |
| Lycoming | 78 | | | | | | | |
| Lycoming | 78 | | | Randolph–Macon | 72 | | | |
| | | | | Otterbein | 85 | | | |
| Pitt–Bradford | 98 | | | | | Otterbein | 85 | |
| Bethany (WV) | 110 | | | | | | | |
| Bethany (WV) | 110 | Bethany (WV) | 89 | | | | | |
| | | Otterbein | 121 | | | | | |

### Top right sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| | | Rochester | 66 | | | | | |
| | | Williams | 51 | | | | | |
| Williams | 121 | Williams | 51 | | | | | |
| Cazenovia | 49 | | | | | | | |
| Cazenovia | 49 | | | Rochester | 71 | | | |
| | | | | Babson | 60 | | | |
| Union (NY) | 75 | | | | | Babson | 60 | |
| Lasell | 73 | | | | | | | |
| Lasell | 73 | Union (NY) | 50 | | | | | |
| | | Babson | 63 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Rochester | 71 |
| | | | | | | | Brockport State | 62 |
| | | Amherst | 82 | | | | | |
| | | Western Connecticut | 77 | | | | | |
| Western Connecticut | 92 | Western Connecticut | 77 | | | | | |
| Salem State | 89 | | | | | | | |
| Salem State | 89 | | | Amherst | 65 | | | |
| | | | | Brockport State | 69 | | | |
| Trinity (CT) | 75 | | | | | Brockport State | 69 | |
| Colby–Sawyer | 47 | | | | | | | |
| Colby–Sawyer | 47 | Trinity (CT) | 61 | | | | | |
| | | Brockport State | 80 | | | | | |

### Bottom right sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| | | Elizabethtown | 95 | | | | | |
| | | Alvernia | 84 | | | | | |
| Alvernia | 76 | Alvernia | 84 | | | | | |
| Ithaca | 67 | | | | | | | |
| Ithaca | 67 | | | Elizabethtown | 87 | | | |
| | | | | Cabrini | 85 | | | |
| Kings Point | 73 | | | | | Cabrini | 85 | |
| Cabrini | 85 | | | | | | | |
| Cabrini | 85 | Cabrini | 47 | | | | | |
| | | William Paterson | 43 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Elizabethtown | 94 |
| | | | | | | | Clark (MA) | 90 |
| | | Staten Island | 72 | | | | | |
| | | Clark (MA) | 101 | | | | | |
| Clark (MA) | 84 | Clark (MA) | 101 | | | | | |
| Suffolk | 77 | | | | | | | |
| Suffolk | 77 | | | Clark (MA) | 75 | | | |
| | | | | Catholic | 72 | | | |
| Hampden–Sydney | 92 | | | | | Catholic | 72 | |
| North Carolina Wesleyan | 79 | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina Wesleyan | 79 | Hampden–Sydney | 66 | | | | | |
| | | Catholic | 74 | | | | | |

### National finals

* Site: Salem Civic Center, Salem, Virginia
| National semifinals | National semifinals | National championship | National championship |
| Carthage | 66 | | |
| Otterbein | 70 | | |
| Otterbein | 70 | Otterbein | 102 |
| | | Elizabethtown | 83 |
| Rochester | 83 | Elizabethtown | 83 |
| Elizabethtown | 93* | National third-place | National third-place |
| | | Carthage | 72 |
| | | Rochester | 51 |