| Memphis captured its first post-season title in any intercollegiate sport as the Tigers won the 2002 Owens Corning NIT championship. |
| Earl Barron scored a career-high 25 points as the Tigers defeated South Carolina 72-62 in the title game played in New York's Madison Square Garden. Dajuan Wagner matched a career-high with 32 points two nights earlier and had the game-winning assist, a pass leading to a dunk by Kelly Wise with 18-6 seconds remaining, as the Tigers posted a 78-77 win over Temple in the semifinal game. |
| Dajuan Wagner was named the MVP of the tournament, averaging 21.4 points over 5 tournament games. Earl Barron was named to the all-tournament team. |
| Following its run to the 2002 NIT title, a victory parade was held for the team on Beale Street and the Tigers were honored during a post-parade ceremony. |
| Below are the results of the 2001-2002 Tigers NIT games. |
Season Record: 27-9
Head Coach: John Calipari |
| Date |
Opponent |
Location |
W/L |
Score |
| 03/14/02 |
UNC-Greensboro |
Memphis, TN |
W |
82-62 |
| 03/20/02 |
BYU |
Memphis, TN |
W |
80-69 |
| 03/23/02 |
Tennessee Tech |
Memphis, TN |
W |
79-73 |
| 03/26/02 |
Temple |
MSG, New York, NY |
W |
78-77 |
| 03/28/02 |
South Carolina |
MSG, New York, NY |
W |
72-62 |