# 1996–97 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team represented Boston College as members of the Big East Conference during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by 11th-year head coach Jim O'Brien and played their home games at the Silvio O. Conte Forum in Boston, Massachusetts.
After finishing tied atop the Big East regular season standings, the Eagles won the Big East tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 5 seed in the West region. After defeating a game Valparaiso team in the opening round, the Eagles were eliminated in overtime by Saint Joseph's, 81–77, in the round of 32.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 22, 1996* | No. 21 | Brown | W 89–72 | 1–0 | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nov 25, 1996* | No. 23 | New Hampshire | W 82–40 | 2–0 | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Dec 4, 1996 | No. 20 | Rutgers | W 73–64 | 3–0 (1–0) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Dec 7, 1996 | No. 20 | at Connecticut | L 54–61 | 3–1 (1–1) | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Connecticut |
| Dec 9, 1996* | No. 25 | Vanderbilt | W 59–52 | 4–1 | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Dec 21, 1996* | | at Holy Cross | W 92–76 | 5–1 | Hart Center Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Dec 27, 1996* | No. 25 | Central Connecticut State | W 63–53 | 6–1 | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Dec 29, 1996* | No. 25 | at No. 16 Louisville | L 85–89 $^{2OT}$ | 6–2 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| Jan 2, 1997 | No. 25 | Miami (FL) | W 65–62 | 7–2 (2–1) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Jan 4, 1997 | No. 25 | at Seton Hall | W 80–64 | 8–2 (3–1) | Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Jan 7, 1997 | No. 23 | at Syracuse | W 94–83 | 9–2 (4–1) | Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York |
| Jan 11, 1997 | No. 23 | at Notre Dame | W 73–61 | 10–2 (5–1) | Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana |
| Jan 13, 1997 | No. 19 | Georgetown | W 81–74 | 11–2 (6–1) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Jan 15, 1997* | No. 19 | at Fairfield | W 81–79 $^{OT}$ | 12–2 | Alumni Hall Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Jan 18, 1997* | No. 19 | vs. UMass | L 78–90 | 12–3 | TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts |
| Jan 21, 1997 | No. 22 | Pittsburgh | W 81–61 | 13–3 (7–1) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Jan 25, 1997 | No. 22 | No. 12 Villanova | L 66–84 | 13–4 (7–2) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Jan 29, 1997 | | at West Virginia | L 76–89 | 13–5 (7–3) | WVU Coliseum Morgantown, West Virginia |
| Feb 1, 1997 | | at Providence | L 71–83 | 13–6 (7–4) | Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| Feb 4, 1997 | | Syracuse | W 79–71 | 14–6 (8–4) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Feb 9, 1997 | | St. John's | W 81–80 $^{OT}$ | 15–6 (9–4) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Feb 12, 1997 | | Connecticut | L 56–61 | 15–7 (9–5) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Feb 16, 1997 | | Seton Hall | W 74–57 | 16–7 (10–5) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Feb 19, 1997 | | at Miami (FL) | W 59–57 | 17–7 (11–5) | Miami Arena Miami, Florida |
| Feb 23, 1997 | | at Pittsburgh | L 71–75 | 17–8 (11–6) | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Mar 1, 1997 | | Notre Dame | W 76–74 | 18–8 (12–6) | Silvio O. Conte Forum Boston, Massachusetts |
| Big East tournament ||||||
| Mar 6, 1997* | (3) | vs. (6) Pittsburgh Quarterfinals | W 76–68 | 19–8 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| Mar 7, 1997* | (3) | vs. (2) Georgetown Semifinals | W 70–58 | 20–8 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| Mar 8, 1997* | (3) | vs. (1) No. 21 Villanova Championship game | W 70–58 | 21–8 | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1997* | (5 W) No. 23 | vs. (12 W) Valparaiso First round | W 73–66 | 22–8 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Mar 15, 1997* | (5 W) No. 23 | vs. (4 W) No. 12 Saint Joseph's Second round | L 77–81 $^{OT}$ | 22–9 | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||
Sources