# 1996–97 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was David Hobbs, who was in his fifth season at Alabama. The team played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of 17–14, with a conference record of 6–10, which placed them in a tie for third in the SEC Western Division.
The Tide defeated Florida in the first round of the 1997 SEC men's basketball tournament, but lost to South Carolina in the quarterfinal. The Tide did not an invite to a postseason tournament, marking the first time the Tide didn't participate in the postseason since the 1987–88 season.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 22, 1996* | | vs. UNC Wilmington Top of The World Classic | W 58–51 | 1–0 | Carlson Center Fairbanks, AK |
| Nov 23, 1996* | | vs. Southern Illinois Top of the World Classic | W 79–58 | 2–0 | Carlson Center Fairbanks, AK |
| Nov 24, 1996* | | vs. Middle Tennessee Top of the World Classic | W 77–74 | 3–0 | Carlson Center Fairbanks, AK |
| Nov 30, 1996* | | Northeastern Illinois | W 93–50 | 4–0 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 2, 1996* | | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 95–44 | 5–0 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 5, 1996* | | No. 16 Minnesota | W 70–67 | 6–0 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 7, 1996* | | FIU | W 80–65 | 7–0 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 14, 1996* | No. 24 | Western Carolina | W 100–48 | 8–0 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 18, 1996* | No. 20 | North Texas | W 72–55 | 9–0 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Dec 21, 1996* | No. 20 | vs. VCU Holiday Hoopfest | W 72–69 | 10–0 | UAB Arena Birmingham, AL |
| Dec 27, 1996* | No. 19 | at San Jose State Cable Car Classic | L 59–60 $^{OT}$ | 10–1 | The Event Center San Jose, CA |
| Dec 28, 1996* | No. 19 | vs. Santa Clara Cable Car Classic | L 62–77 | 10–2 | San Jose Arena San Jose, CA |
| Jan 4, 1997 | | at Vanderbilt | L 84–92 | 10–3 (0–1) | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN |
| Jan 8, 1997 | | at Ole Miss | W 59–46 | 11–3 (1–1) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| Jan 11, 1997* | | Syracuse | L 66–70 | 11–4 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 15, 1997 | | Arkansas | L 68–72 | 11–5 (1–2) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 18, 1997 | | at Florida | L 66–85 | 11–6 (1–3) | O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL |
| Jan 22, 1997 | | South Carolina | L 60–62 | 11–7 (1–4) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 25, 1997 | | LSU | W 75–66 | 12–7 (2–4) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 28, 1997 | | at Auburn | L 62–72 | 12–8 (2–5) | Beard–Eaves Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Feb 1, 1997 | | at Mississippi State | L 51–64 | 12–9 (2–6) | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| Feb 5, 1997 | | Georgia | L 74–83 | 12–10 (2–7) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 8, 1997 | | at Tennessee | L 61–65 | 12–11 (2–8) | Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, TN |
| Feb 12, 1997 | | Ole Miss | W 57–54 | 13–11 (3–8) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 15, 1997 | | at LSU | W 78–72 | 14–11 (4–8) | Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA |
| Feb 19, 1997 | | No. 3 Kentucky | L 61–75 | 14–12 (4–9) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 22, 1997 | | Auburn | W 55–50 | 15–12 (5–9) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 26, 1997 | | at Arkansas | L 53–73 | 15–13 (5–10) | Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR |
| Mar 1, 1997 | | Mississippi State | W 78–49 | 16–13 (6–10) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| SEC Tournament ||||||
| Mar 6, 1997 | (4 W) | vs. (5 E) Florida SEC Tournament First Round | W 80–66 | 17–13 | The Pyramid Memphis, TN |
| Mar 7, 1997 | (4 W) | vs. (1 E) No. 4 South Carolina SEC Tournament Quarterfinals | L 61–72 | 17–14 | The Pyramid Memphis, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||
Sources