# 1996–97 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Jeff Jones, and played their home games at University Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

## Last season

The Cavaliers had a record of 18–13.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov. 25* | | vs. South Carolina Maui Classic | W 93–70 | 1–0 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI |
| Nov. 26* | | vs. No. 17 Massachusetts Maui Classic | W 75–68 | 2–0 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI |
| Nov. 27* | | vs. No. 2 Kansas Maui Classic | L 63–80 | 2–1 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI |
| Nov. 30* | | at George Mason | W 106–93 | 3–1 | Patriot Center (6,707) Fairfax, Virginia |
| Dec. 4* | No. 25 | at William & Mary | W 75–64 | 4–1 | William & Mary Hall (4,617) Williamsburg, Virginia |
| Dec. 7 | No. 25 | No. 12 Clemson | L 52–62 | 4–2 (0–1) | University Hall (8,004) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec. 18* | | Liberty | W 67–54 | 5–2 (0–1) | University Hall (7,026) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec. 21* | | UMBC | W 57–34 | 6–2 (0–1) | University Hall (6,507) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec. 23* | | at Connecticut | L 61–64 $^{OT}$ | 6–3 (0–1) | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,027) Storrs, Connecticut |
| Dec. 28* | | Radford | W 95–47 | 7–3 (0–1) | University Hall (7,907) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec. 30* | | Delaware | W 76–66 | 8–3 (0–1) | University Hall (7,658) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 2* | | Loyola | W 67–61 | 9–3 (0–1) | University Hall (6,733) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 4 | | at No. 19 Maryland | L 62–78 | 9–4 (0–2) | Cole Field House (14,500) College Park, Maryland |
| Jan. 8 | | at Florida State | W 64–61 | 10–4 (1–2) | Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center (9,452) Tallahassee, Florida |
| Jan. 11 | | No. 13 North Carolina | W 75–63 | 11–4 (2–2) | University Hall (8,241) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 15 | | at No. 2 Wake Forest | L 54–58 | 11–5 (2–3) | LJVM Coliseum (14,268) Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Jan. 18 | | at No. 13 Duke | L 59–78 | 11–6 (2–4) | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, North Carolina |
| Jan. 22 | | Georgia Tech | W 68–64 | 12–6 (3–4) | University Hall (8,120) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 28 | | NC State | W 56–50 | 13–6 (4–4) | University Hall (7,697) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan. 30* | | Richmond | W 83–66 | 14–6 (4–4) | University Hall (7,306) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 1 | | Florida State | W 73–60 | 15–6 (5–4) | University Hall (8,120) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 6 | | at Georgia Tech | L 53–66 | 15–7 (5–5) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum (8,103) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Feb. 8 | | at No. 20 North Carolina | L 57–81 | 15–8 (5–6) | Dean Smith Center (21,572) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Feb. 11 | | No. 6 Duke | L 61–62 | 15–9 (5–7) | University Hall (8,394) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 15 | | at No. 7 Clemson | L 65–71 | 15–10 (5–8) | Littlejohn Coliseum (10,500) Clemson, South Carolina |
| Feb. 19 | | at NC State | W 55–46 | 16–10 (6–8) | Reynolds Coliseum (12,400) Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Feb. 22 | | No. 4 Wake Forest | L 60–66 | 16–11 (6–9) | University Hall (8,150) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb. 25* | | vs. Virginia Tech | W 58–57 | 17–11 (6–9) | Richmond Coliseum (8,503) Richmond, Virginia |
| Mar. 2 | | No. 16 Maryland | W 81–74 | 18–11 (7–9) | University Hall (8,182) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| Mar. 7 | (6) | vs. (3) No. 5 North Carolina ACC Tournament quarterfinals | L 68–78 | 18–12 | Greensboro Coliseum (23,250) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar. 13* | (9 W) | vs. (8 W) Iowa NCAA Tournament first round | L 60–73 | 18–13 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,886) Salt Lake City |
| *Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||