# 1996–97 Long Island Blackbirds men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Long Island Blackbirds men's basketball team represented Long Island University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blackbirds, led by 2nd year head coach Ray Haskins, played their home games at the Athletic, Recreation & Wellness Center and were members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 21–9, 15–3 in NEC play to capture the regular season championship. They also won the NEC tournament to earn an automatic bid in the 1997 NCAA tournament where they lost in the opening round to Villanova.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 23, 1996* | | at St. John's | W 76–73 | 1–0 | Alumni Hall (6,008) Queens, New York |
| Nov 27, 1996* | | at Providence | L 88–100 | 1–1 | Providence Civic Center (10,000) Providence, Rhode Island |
| Dec 7, 1996* | | at Ohio State | L 73–97 | 1–2 | St. John Arena (11,553) Columbus, Ohio |
| Dec 10, 1996* | | No. 19 Xavier | L 86–94 | 1–3 | Cincinnati Gardens (8,388) Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Dec 14, 1996* | | at Niagara | W 104–84 | 2–3 | Gallagher Center (919) Lewiston, New York |
| Dec 20, 1996* | | vs. Jacksonville State UAB Classic | W 90–81 | 3–3 | Bartow Arena (3,245) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Dec 21, 1996* | | at UAB UAB Classic | L 69–74 | 3–4 | Bartow Arena (3,513) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Dec 28, 1996* | | at No. 15 Minnesota | L 84–104 | 3–5 | Williams Arena (13,065) Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Jan 4, 1997 | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 82–79 $^{OT}$ | 4–5 (1–0) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,650) Brooklyn, New York |
| Jan 6, 1997 | | Robert Morris | W 113–94 | 5–5 (2–0) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,350) Brooklyn, New York |
| Jan 9, 1997 | | at Mount St. Mary's | W 102–82 | 6–5 (3–0) | Knott Arena (1,250) Emmitsburg, Maryland |
| Jan 11, 1997 | | Rider | W 99–76 | 7–5 (4–0) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Jan 15, 1997 | | Wagner | W 81–57 | 8–5 (5–0) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,150) Brooklyn, New York |
| Jan 18, 1997 | | at Marist | L 84–88 | 8–6 (5–1) | McCann Arena (2,382) Poughkeepsie, New York |
| Jan 19, 1997 | | Fairleigh Dickinson | W 76–63 | 9–6 (6–1) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Jan 23, 1997 | | Monmouth | W 82–73 | 10–6 (7–1) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Jan 25, 1997 | | at St. Francis (NY) | W 68–64 | 11–6 (8–1) | Pope Physical Education Center (1,118) Brooklyn, New York |
| Feb 1, 1997 | | at Saint Francis (PA) | W 104–86 | 12–6 (9–1) | Maurice Stokes Athletic Center (1,503) Loretto, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 3, 1997 | | at Robert Morris | W 129–100 | 13–6 (10–1) | Charles L. Sewall Center (1,291) Moon Township, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 6, 1997 | | Mount St. Mary's | W 94–86 | 14–6 (11–1) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Feb 8, 1997 | | at Rider | L 97–103 | 14–7 (11–2) | Alumni Gymnasium (1,650) Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
| Feb 12, 1997 | | at Wagner | W 93–71 | 15–7 (12–2) | Sutter Gymnasium (1,700) Staten Island, New York |
| Feb 15, 1997 | | Marist | W 104–72 | 16–7 (13–2) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Feb 17, 1997 | | at Fairleigh Dickinson | W 99–80 | 17–7 (14–2) | Rothman Center (3,883) Hackensack, New Jersey |
| Feb 20, 1997 | | at Monmouth | L 97–102 $^{OT}$ | 17–8 (14–3) | William T. Boylan Gymnasium (2,500) West Long Branch, New Jersey |
| Feb 22, 1997 | | St. Francis (NY) | W 120–92 | 18–8 (15–3) | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Northeast Conference tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1997* | | Marist Quarterfinals | W 99–88 | 19–8 | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Mar 3, 1997* | | Rider Semifinals | W 90–76 | 20–8 | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,700) Brooklyn, New York |
| Mar 6, 1997* | | Monmouth Championship game | W 72–67 | 21–8 | Schwartz Athletic Center (1,705) Brooklyn, New York |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1997* CBS | (13 E) | vs. (4 E) No. 20 Villanova First round | L 91–101 | 21–9 | Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,368) Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||