1996–97 Georgia Bulldogs basketball team

1996–97 Georgia Bulldogs basketball
Rainbow Classic champion
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEast
Ranking
APNo. 17
Record24–9 (10–6 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coach2nd
Home arenaStegeman Coliseum
1996–97 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
No. 6 South Carolina 15 1   .938 24 8   .750
No. 5 Kentucky 13 3   .813 35 5   .875
No. 17 Georgia 10 6   .625 24 9   .727
Vanderbilt 9 7   .563 19 12   .613
Florida 5 11   .313 13 17   .433
Tennessee 4 12   .250 11 16   .407
West
Ole Miss 11 5   .688 20 9   .690
Arkansas 8 8   .500 18 14   .563
Auburn 6 10   .375 16 15   .516
Alabama 6 10   .375 17 14   .548
Mississippi State 6 10   .375 12 18   .400
LSU 3 13   .188 10 20   .333
1997 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996–97 Georgia Bulldogs basketball team represented the University of Georgia as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1996–97 NCAA men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Tubby Smith, and played their home games at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs finished 3rd in the SEC East during the regular season, had a strong showing at the SEC tournament, and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 3 seed in the Southeast region. They were upset by No. 14 seed Chattanooga in the opening round and finished the season at 24–9 (10–6 SEC).