# 1996–97 USC Trojans men's basketball team

The 1996–97 USC Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Henry Bibby, they played their home games at the L. A. Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California as members of the Pac-10 Conference. The Trojans finished the season with a record of 17–11 (12–6 Pac-10) and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 30, 1996* | | Long Beach State | W 77–70 | 1–0 | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Dec 2, 1996* | | Loyola Marymount | W 97–78 | 2–0 | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Dec 6, 1996* | | vs. No. 14 North Carolina | L 84–99 | 2–1 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Dec 7, 1996* | | at UNC Charlotte | W 65–61 | 3–1 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Dec 15, 1996* | | at UC Irvine | W 107–45 | 4–1 | Bren Events Center Irvine, California |
| Dec 18, 1996* | | at Tennessee | L 59–71 | 4–2 | Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Dec 21, 1996* | | Ohio State | W 79–68 | 5–2 | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Dec 28, 1996* | | at UNLV | L 75–80 | 5–3 | Thomas & Mack Center Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 2, 1997 | | Washington | W 77–58 | 6–3 (1–0) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 4, 1997 | | Washington State | W 106–73 | 7–3 (2–0) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 9, 1997 | | at California | L 71–83 | 7–4 (2–1) | Harmon Gym Berkeley, California |
| Jan 11, 1997 | | at No. 21 Stanford | L 70–85 | 7–5 (2–2) | Maples Pavilion Stanford, California |
| Jan 16, 1997 | | No. 6 Arizona | W 75–62 | 8–5 (3–2) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 18, 1997 | | Arizona State | W 75–56 | 9–5 (4–2) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 23, 1997 | | UCLA | L 87–96 | 9–6 (4–3) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 26, 1997* | | No. 9 Cincinnati | L 81–100 | 9–7 | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Jan 30, 1997 | | at Oregon State | W 71–68 | 10–7 (5–3) | Gill Coliseum Corvallis, Oregon |
| Feb 1, 1997 | | at Oregon | W 79–69 | 11–7 (6–3) | McArthur Court Eugene, Oregon |
| Feb 6, 1997 | | No. 18 Stanford | W 84–81 | 12–7 (7–3) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Feb 8, 1997 | | California | W 93–85 | 13–7 (8–3) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Feb 13, 1997 | | at Arizona State | W 72–66 | 14–7 (9–3) | Wells Fargo Arena Tempe, Arizona |
| Feb 15, 1997 | | at No. 11 Arizona | L 77–101 | 14–8 (9–4) | McKale Center Tucson, Arizona |
| Feb 19, 1997 | | at No. 17 UCLA | L 60–82 | 14–9 (9–5) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, California |
| Feb 27, 1997 | | Oregon | W 72–69 | 15–9 (10–5) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Mar 1, 1997 | | Oregon State | W 83–62 | 16–9 (11–5) | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| Mar 6, 1997 | | at Washington State | W 92–85 | 17–9 (12–5) | Friel Court Pullman, Washington |
| Mar 8, 1997 | | at Washington | L 84–94 | 17–10 (12–6) | Bank of America Arena Seattle, Washington |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 14, 1997* CBS | (11 SE) | vs. (6 SE) No. 19 Illinois First round | L 77–90 | 17–11 | Charlotte Coliseum (11,206) Charlotte, North Carolina |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||

## Team Players in the 1997 NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 24 | Rodrick Rhodes | Houston Rockets |