# 1996 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament

The 1996 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was the 22nd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division III collegiate basketball in the United States.
The field contained sixty-four teams, each allocated to one of four sectionals played on campus sites. The national semifinals, third-place final, and championship final, meanwhile, were contested at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. Salem would remain the home of the Division III final four through the 2017–18 season.
Rowan defeated Hope, 100–93, in the final, clinching their first national title.
The Profs (28–4) were coached by John Giannini. Giannini would go on to coach at Maine and La Salle at the Division I level.

## Bracket
### Top left sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| RIT | 51 | | | | | | | |
| Geneseo State | 73 | | | | | | | |
| Geneseo State | 73 | Geneseo State | 61 | | | | | |
| | | Buffalo State | 71 | | | | | |
| Buffalo State | 74 | Buffalo State | 71 | | | | | |
| St. John Fisher | 65 | | | | | | | |
| St. John Fisher | 65 | | | Buffalo State | 59 | | | |
| | | | | Wilkes | 64 | | | |
| Wilkes | 87 | | | | | Wilkes | 64 | | | |
| Allentown | 72 | | | | | | | |
| Allentown | 72 | Wilkes | 96* | | | | | |
| | | Cabrini | 91 | | | | | |
| Cabrini | 85 | Cabrini | 91 | | | | | |
| Catholic | 65 | | | | | | | |
| Catholic | 65 | | | | | | Wilkes | 70 |
| | | | | | | | Franklin & Marshall | 107 |
| Hamilton | 78 | | | | | | | | Franklin & Marshall | 107 |
| St. Lawrence | 85 | | | | | | | |
| St. Lawrence | 85 | St. Lawrence | 70 | | | | | |
| | | RPI | 78 | | | | | |
| Hartwick | 55 | RPI | 78 | | | | | |
| RPI | 68 | | | | | | | |
| RPI | 68 | | | RPI | 58 | | | |
| | | | | Franklin & Marshall | 74 | | | |
| Lycoming | 103 | | | | | Franklin & Marshall | 74 | | | |
| Gettysburg | 75 | | | | | | | |
| Gettysburg | 75 | Lycoming | 61 | | | | | |
| | | Franklin & Marshall | 72 | | | | | |
| Franklin & Marshall | 118 | Franklin & Marshall | 72 | | | | | |
| Salisbury State | 69 | | | | | | | |

### Bottom left sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| UW–Platteville | 77 | | | | | | | |
| UW–Whitewater | 85 | | | | | | | |
| UW–Whitewater | 85 | UW–Whitewater | 63 | | | | | |
| | | Claremont–Mudd–Scripps | 62 | | | | | |
| Upper Iowa | 58 | Claremont–Mudd–Scripps | 62 | | | | | |
| Claremont–Mudd–Scripps | 70 | | | | | | | |
| Claremont–Mudd–Scripps | 70 | | | UW–Whitewater | 66 | | | |
| | | | | Hope | 88 | | | |
| Hope | 65 | | | | | Hope | 88 | | | |
| Kalamazoo | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Kalamazoo | 62 | Hope | 80 | | | | | |
| | | John Carroll | 61 | | | | | |
| John Carroll | 86 | John Carroll | 61 | | | | | |
| Wooster | 72 | | | | | | | |
| Wooster | 72 | | | | | | Hope | 69 |
| | | | | | | | Wittenberg | 60 |
| UW–Oshkosh | 79 | | | | | | | | Wittenberg | 60 |
| Simpson (IA) | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Simpson (IA) | 74 | UW–Oshkosh | 60 | | | | | |
| | | Gustavus Adolphus | 61** | | | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 72 | Gustavus Adolphus | 61** | | | | | |
| Concordia–Moorhead | 61 | | | | | | | |
| Concordia–Moorhead | 61 | | | Gustavus Adolphus | 68 | | | |
| | | | | Wittenberg | 76 | | | |
| Ohio Northern | 57 | | | | | Wittenberg | 76 | | | |
| Capital | 68 | | | | | | | |
| Capital | 68 | Capital | 60 | | | | | |
| | | Wittenberg | 65 | | | | | |
| Wittenberg | 70 | Wittenberg | 65 | | | | | |
| Baldwin Wallace | 61 | | | | | | | |

### Top right sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| Williams | 78 | | | | | | | |
| Plymouth State | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Plymouth State | 62 | Williams | 91 | | | | | |
| | | Bowdoin | 64 | | | | | |
| Bowdoin | 62 | Bowdoin | 64 | | | | | |
| Springfield | 56 | | | | | | | |
| Springfield | 56 | | | Williams | 77 | | | |
| | | | | Rowan | 85 | | | |
| Rowan | 130 | | | | | Rowan | 85 | | | |
| York (NY) | 66 | | | | | | | |
| York (NY) | 66 | Rowan | 102 | | | | | |
| | | Jersey City State | 83 | | | | | |
| Staten Island | 63 | Jersey City State | 83 | | | | | |
| Jersey City State | 73 | | | | | | | |
| Jersey City State | 73 | | | | | | Rowan | 98 |
| | | | | | | | Richard Stockton | 70 |
| Anna Maria | 111 | | | | | | | | Richard Stockton | 70 |
| Babson | 90 | | | | | | | |
| Babson | 90 | Anna Maria | 74 | | | | | |
| | | Salem State | 67 | | | | | |
| Salem State | 76 | Salem State | 67 | | | | | |
| Western Connecticut | 60 | | | | | | | |
| Western Connecticut | 60 | | | Anna Maria | 88 | | | |
| | | | | Richard Stockton | 95 | | | |
| NYU | 105 | | | | | Richard Stockton | 95 | | | |
| NJIT | 88 | | | | | | | |
| NJIT | 88 | NYU | 77 | | | | | |
| | | Richard Stockton | 81* | | | | | |
| Richard Stockton | 80 | Richard Stockton | 81* | | | | | |
| Mount Saint Vincent | 54 | | | | | | | |

### Bottom right sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| Wheaton (IL) | 131 | | | | | | | |
| Grinnell | 117 | | | | | | | |
| Grinnell | 117 | Wheaton (IL) | 75 | | | | | |
| | | Washington–St. Louis | 93 | | | | | |
| Washington–St. Louis | 76 | Washington–St. Louis | 93 | | | | | |
| Rose–Hulman | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Rose–Hulman | 74 | | | Washington–St. Louis | 87 | | | |
| | | | | Christopher Newport | 71 | | | |
| Randolph–Macon | 57 | | | | | Christopher Newport | 71 | | | |
| Christopher Newport | 66 | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | 66 | Christopher Newport | 73 | | | | | |
| | | Millsaps | 69 | | | | | |
| Millsaps | 83 | Millsaps | 69 | | | | | |
| Bridgewater (VA) | 72 | | | | | | | |
| Bridgewater (VA) | 72 | | | | | | Washington–St. Louis | 61 |
| | | | | | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 73 |
| Hanover | 85 | | | | | | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 73 |
| Fontbonne | 43 | | | | | | | |
| Fontbonne | 43 | Hanover | 67 | | | | | |
| | | Illinois Wesleyan | 73 | | | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan | 77 | Illinois Wesleyan | 73 | | | | | |
| Ripon | 66 | | | | | | | |
| Ripon | 66 | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 116 | | | |
| | | | | Roanoke | 88 | | | |
| Hendrix | 97 | | | | | Roanoke | 88 | | | |
| Stillman | 85 | | | | | | | |
| Stillman | 85 | Hendrix | 64 | | | | | |
| | | Roanoke | 80 | | | | | |
| Roanoke | 128 | Roanoke | 80 | | | | | |
| Shenandoah | 110 | | | | | | | |

### National finals

* Site: Salem Civic Center, Salem, Virginia
| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Championship | National Championship |
| Franklin & Marshall | 57 | | |
| Hope | 76 | | |
| Hope | 76 | Hope | 93 |
| | | Rowan | 100 |
| Rowan | 79 | Rowan | 100 |
| Illinois Wesleyan | 66 | National Third-place | National Third-place |
| | | Franklin & Marshall | 57 |
| | | Illinois Wesleyan | 89 |

## All-tournament team

* Terrence Stewart, Rowan
* Antwan Dasher, Rowan
* Joel Holstege, Hope
* Duane Bosma, Hope
* Chris Simich, Illinois Wesleyan