Three Conference USA men’s basketball programs are among the Top 11 in NCAA Attendance for the 2002-03 season, highlighted by Louisville finishing third out of 325 NCAA Division I schools. In addition to the Cardinals, Memphis and Marquette ranked in the Top 11 in attendance, while Cincinnati was 25th for fan turnout according to figures released by the NCAA.

The Cardinals posted a 16-2 mark at Freedom Hall, averaging 19,037 fans per game for a total of 342,672 through 18 dates including three C-USA Tournament contests. Louisville finished the 2002-03 campaign with a 25-7 overall record and 11-5 ledger in C-USA play. The Cardinals also made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in two years after securing the automatic bid by capturing their first Conference USA Tournament title at home under second-year head coach Rick Pitino. U of L also finished eighth in total attendance with 516,217 fans coming out to see the Cardinals play for home, away and neutral contests.

Memphis finished seventh with a total of 266,283 fans through 16 home contests, averaging crowds of 16,643 per game at The Pyramid. The Tigers posted a 14-2 home record last season en route to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1996. Memphis finished 23-7 overall and 13-3 in league play under third-year head coach John Calipari.

Marquette, the first Conference USA team to reach the Final Four, ranked 11th nationally in attendance averaging a school-record 15,553 fans per game at the Bradley Center in 2002-03. The Golden Eagles’ 2,873 per-game average increase for home games in 2002-03 was the seventh largest increase among Division I programs. Marquette registered a 15-1 home mark on their way to their first Conference USA regular-season title with a 27-6 overall record and a 14-2 C-USA ledger under 2003 Ray Meyer C-USA Coach of the Year, Tom Crean.

Cincinnati averaged crowds of 12,182 per game and totaled 194,915 fans over 16 home contests at Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center, sporting a 13-3 in the friendly confines. The Bearcats concluded the year with a 17-12 record and 9-7 C-USA mark. UC made their 12th straight NCAA Tournament appearance under the dean of C-USA head coaches, Bob Huggins, to cap the 2002-03 campaign.