The 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved multiple schools.
The 2003 NCAA Division I Men 's Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men 's NCAA Division I college basketball . The Final Four consisted of Kansas , making their second straight appearance , Marquette , making their first appearance since they won the national championship in 1977 , Syracuse , making their first appearance since 1996 , and Texas , making their first appearance since 1947 . Texas was the only top seed to advance to the Final Four ; the other three ( Arizona , Kentucky , and Oklahoma ) advanced as far as the Elite Eight but fell . Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse was named the tournament 's Most Outstanding Player . Syracuse beat four Big 12 teams on its way to the title : Oklahoma State , Oklahoma , Texas , and Kansas .