1996–97 UMass Minutemen basketball team

1996–97 UMass Minutemen men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Round of 64
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record19–14 (11–5 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWilliam D. Mullins Memorial Center
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 UMass Minutemen basketball team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Minutemen, led by first year head coach Bruiser Flint, played their home games at William D. Mullins Memorial Center and are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team finished the season 19–14, 11–5 in A-10 play to finish in third place. In the postseason, the team lost in the quarterfinal of the A-10 tournament and in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In June 1996, assistant coach Bruiser Flint was promoted to the role of head coach following the departure of previous head coach John Calipari.