# 1996–97 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rebels were led by fifth-year head coach, Rob Evans. The Rebels played their home games at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Mississippi as members of the Southeastern Conference. This season marked the second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 24, 1996* | | Portland State | W 56–54 | 1–0 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| November 26, 1996* | | Prairie View A&M | W 71–42 | 2–0 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| December 2, 1996* | | at Davidson | L 56–59 | 2–1 | John M. Belk Arena Davidson, NC |
| December 7, 1996* | | Houston | W 93–71 | 3–1 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| December 14, 1996* | | Wichita State | W 68–65 | 4–1 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| December 17, 1996* | | Stetson | W 78–50 | 5–1 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| December 20, 1996* | | Florida International | W 74–64 | 6–1 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| December 27, 1996* | | vs. Appalachian State | W 75–63 | 7–1 | The Pit Albuquerque, NM |
| December 28, 1996* | | at No. 14 New Mexico | L 64–75 | 7–2 | The Pit Albuquerque, NM |
| December 31, 1996* | | Morgan State | W 91–57 | 8–2 | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| SEC regular season ||||||
| January 2, 1997 | | at No. 22 Arkansas | W 91–74 | 9–2 (1–0) | Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR |
| January 5, 1997 | | Georgia | W 73–66 | 10–2 (2–0) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| January 8, 1997 | | Alabama | L 46–59 | 10–3 (2–1) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| January 11, 1997 | | No. 3 Kentucky | W 73–69 | 11–3 (3–1) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| January 15, 1997 | No. 20 | at Mississippi State | L 64–75 | 11–4 (3–2) | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| January 18, 1997 | No. 20 | at Vanderbilt | L 64–67 | 11–5 (3–3) | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN |
| January 22, 1997 | | Tennessee | W 70–48 | 12–5 (4–3) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| January 25, 1997 12:00 p.m., JP Sports | | at South Carolina | L 63–86 | 12–6 (4–4) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, SC |
| January 29, 1997 | | Arkansas | W 71–52 | 13–6 (5–4) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| February 1, 1997 | | Auburn | W 57–46 | 14–6 (6–4) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| February 5, 1997 | | at LSU | W 79–73 | 15–6 (7–4) | Pete Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 12, 1997 | | at Alabama | L 54–57 | 15–7 (7–5) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 19, 1997 | | Mississippi State | W 84–61 | 16–7 (8–5) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| February 23, 1997 | | at Florida | W 67–65 | 17–7 (9–5) | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL |
| February 26, 1997 | | LSU | W 74–68 | 18–7 (10–5) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| March 1, 1997 | | at Auburn | W 71–63 | 19–7 (11–5) | Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| SEC tournament ||||||
| March 7, 1997 JP Sports | (1 W) | vs. (4 E) Vanderbilt Quarterfinals | W 64–62 | 20–7 | Pyramid Arena Memphis, TN |
| March 8, 1997 JP Sports | (1 W) | vs. (2 E) No. 6 Kentucky Semifinals | L 70–88 | 20–8 | Pyramid Arena Memphis, TN |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 14, 1997* CBS | (8 MW) | vs. (9 MW) Temple First round | L 40–62 | 20–9 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||
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