1996–97 Temple Owls men's basketball team

1996–97 Temple Owls men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record20–11 (10–6 A–10)
Head coach
Assistant coachDan Leibovitz (1st season)
Home arenaMcGonigle Hall
1996–97 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
No. 12 Saint Joseph's 13 3   .813 26 7   .788
Rhode Island 12 4   .750 20 10   .667
UMass 11 5   .688 19 14   .576
Temple 10 6   .625 20 11   .645
St. Bonaventure 5 11   .313 14 14   .500
Fordham 1 15   .063 6 21   .222
West
No. 13 Xavier 13 3   .813 23 6   .793
George Washington 8 8   .500 15 14   .517
Virginia Tech 7 9   .438 15 16   .484
Dayton 6 10   .375 13 14   .481
La Salle 5 11   .313 10 17   .370
Duquesne 5 11   .313 9 18   .333
1997 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996–97 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach John Chaney and played their home games, for the final season, at McGonigle Hall. The Owls received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 9 seed in the Midwest region. Temple beat Ole Miss in the opening round before losing to No. 1 seed and eventual Final Four participant Minnesota, 76–57, in the round of 32. Temple finished with a record of 20–11 (10–6 A-10).