1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1996 and concluded in the 64-team 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, whose finals were held at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Arizona Wildcats earned their first national championship by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 84–79 on March 31, 1997. They were coached by Lute Olson, and the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player was Arizona's Miles Simon.

In the 32-team 1997 National Invitation Tournament, the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Florida State Seminoles at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Michigan later vacated the 1997 NIT title after the NCAA ruled that players Robert Traylor and Louis Bullock were ineligible.

Following the season, the 1997 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American Consensus First Team included Tim Duncan, Danny Fortson, Raef LaFrentz, Ron Mercer, and Keith Van Horn.

• 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.

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. One (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.

Source for additional stats categories

• 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.

• 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

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