1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

• The Big 12 Conference began play, with 12 original members.
• Prior to the season, the North Atlantic Conference renamed itself the America East Conference.
• Lute Olsen led the Arizona Wildcats to its first national championship.

The top 25 from the pre-season AP Poll.

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These schools joined new conferences for the 1996–97 season.

Twenty-seven conferences concluded their seasons with a single-elimination tournament, with only the Big Ten Conference, Ivy League, and Pac-10 Conference choosing not to conduct conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners received an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Three schools played as Division I independents.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1997.html |work=Sports Reference |title=1996-97 Men's Independent Season Summary |access-date=September 6, 2024}} One ({{cbb link|1996|sex=men|team=Oral Roberts Golden Eagles|school=Oral Roberts University|title=Oral Roberts}}) received a bid to the 1997 National Invitation Tournament.

For the sixth consecutive season, the Philadelphia Big 5 did not play a full round-robin schedule in which each team met each other team once, a format it had used from its first season of competition in 1955–56 through the 1990–91 season. Instead, each team played only two games against other Big 5 members, and Temple and Villanova both finished with 2–0 records in head-to-head competition among the Big 5. The Big 5 did not revive its full round-robin schedule until the 1999–2000 season.

[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/men/1997-leaders.html Source for additional stats categories]

{{Main|1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament}}

{{4TeamBracket | RD1=National semifinals | RD2=National championship game

| RD1-seed1=E1

| RD1-team1=North Carolina

| RD1-score1=58

| RD1-seed2=SE4

| RD1-team2=Arizona

| RD1-score2=66

| RD1-seed3=M1

| RD1-team3=Minnesota

| RD1-score3=69

| RD1-seed4=W1

| RD1-team4=Kentucky

| RD1-score4=78

| RD2-seed1=SE4

| RD2-team1=Arizona

| RD2-score1=84*

| RD2-seed2=W1

| RD2-team2=Kentucky

| RD2-score2=79

}}

{{Main|1997 National Invitation Tournament}}

{{4TeamBracket | RD1=Semifinals | RD2=Finals

| RD1-seed1= 

| RD1-team1=Florida State

| RD1-score1=71

| RD1-seed2= 

| RD1-team2=Connecticut

| RD1-score2=65

| RD1-seed3= 

| RD1-team3=Michigan

| RD1-score3=77

| RD1-seed4= 

| RD1-team4=Arkansas

| RD1-score4=62

| RD2-seed1= 

| RD2-team1=Florida State

| RD2-score1=73

| RD2-seed2= 

| RD2-team2=Michigan*

| RD2-score2=82

| RD2b-seed1= 

| RD2b-team1=Connecticut

| RD2b-score1=74

| RD2b-seed2= 

| RD2b-team2=Arkansas

| RD2b-score2=64

}}

* Michigan later forfeited its entire 1996–97 schedule after players Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor, and Louis Bullock were found to have taken money from a Michigan booster.

{{Main|1997 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans}}[http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2012/Awards.pdf NCAA Record Book - DIVISION I CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS] p.6

• Wooden Award: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Naismith Award: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• NABC Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest

• USBWA Freshman of the Year: No Award Given
• Sporting News Freshman of the Year: No Award Given

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Clem Haskins, Minnesota (Vacated)
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Clem Haskins, Minnesota (Vacated)
• NABC Coach of the Year: Clem Haskins, Minnesota (Vacated)
• Naismith College Coach of the Year: Roy Williams, Kansas
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Roy Williams, Kansas
• Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award: Clem Haskins, Minnesota (Vacated)

• NABC Defensive Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Brevin Knight, Stanford
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Rashid Bey, Saint Joseph's & Alvin Williams, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Charles Jones, Long Island
• Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award (Strong personal character): Tim Duncan, Wake Forest

{{expand section|date=May 2021}}

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

{{Reflist|2}}

{{NCAA Division I men's basketball season navbox}}

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