The 2003 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament took place March 10–15, 2003, at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center in Richmond, Virginia. South Carolina State defeated Hampton, 72–67 in the championship game, to capture its 5th MEAC Tournament title. The Bulldogs earned an automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA tournament as No. 16 seed in the East region. In the round of 64, South Carolina State fell to No. 1 seed Oklahoma 71–54.
Format
All eleven conference members participated, with the top 5 teams receiving a bye to the quarterfinal round. After seeds 6 through 11 completed games in the first round, teams were re-seeded. The lowest remaining seed was slotted against the top seed, next lowest remaining faced the #2 seed, and third lowest remaining seed squared off against the #3 seed.