# 1996–97 Georgia Bulldogs basketball team

The 1996–97 Georgia Bulldogs basketball team represented the University of Georgia as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1996–97 NCAA men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Tubby Smith, and played their home games at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs finished 3rd in the SEC East during the regular season, had a strong showing at the SEC tournament, and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 3 seed in the Southeast region. They were upset by No. 14 seed Chattanooga in the opening round and finished the season at 24–9 (10–6 SEC).

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Non-conference Regular season ||||||
| Nov 22, 1996* | | Furman | W 91–67 | 1–0 | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Nov 26, 1996* | | Georgia State | W 85–47 | 2–0 | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Nov 29, 1996* | | Georgia Southern | W 90–56 | 3–0 | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Dec 3, 1996* | | at Georgia Tech | L 61–62 | 3–1 | Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, Georgia |
| Dec 7, 1996* | | Appalachian State | W 85–67 | 4–1 | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Dec 14, 1996* | | at Virginia Tech | W 60–57 | 5–1 | Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Dec 17, 1996* | | East Carolina | W 73–60 | 6–1 | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Dec 21, 1996* | | vs. BYU | W 84–65 | 7–1 | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia |
| Dec 23, 1996* | | Colorado | W 62–52 | 8–1 | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Dec 27, 1996* | | vs. Washington State Rainbow Classic | W 64–61 | 9–1 | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 28, 1996* | | vs. Memphis Rainbow Classic | W 70–68 | 10–1 | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 29, 1996* | | vs. No. 21 Maryland Rainbow Classic | W 73–65 $^{OT}$ | 11–1 | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| SEC Regular season ||||||
| Jan 5, 1997 | | at Ole Miss | L 66–73 | 11–2 (0–1) | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, Mississippi |
| Jan 8, 1997 | No. 24 | at Vanderbilt | W 61–53 | 12–2 (1–1) | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee |
| Jan 14, 1997 | No. 21 | No. 5 Kentucky | L 65–86 | 12–3 (1–2) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Jan 18, 1997 | No. 21 | at South Carolina | L 71–82 | 12–4 (1–3) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 22, 1997* | | Florida | W 77–70 $^{OT}$ | 13–4 (2–3) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Jan 25, 1997 | | Auburn | W 53–48 | 14–4 (3–3) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Jan 29, 1997 | | at Tennessee | W 63–50 | 15–4 (4–3) | Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Feb 1, 1997 | | at No. 3 Kentucky | L 57–82 | 15–5 (4–4) | Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky |
| Feb 5, 1997 | | at Alabama | W 83–74 | 16–5 (5–4) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Feb 8, 1997 | | Mississippi State | W 56–54 | 17–5 (6–4) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Feb 12, 1997 | | No. 12 South Carolina | W 77–74 | 18–5 (7–4) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Feb 15, 1997 | | at Arkansas | L 74–79 | 18–6 (7–5) | Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, Arkansas |
| Feb 19, 1997 | | Vanderbilt | L 80–86 | 18–7 (7–6) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Feb 22, 1997 | | LSU | W 82–59 | 19–7 (8–6) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Feb 26, 1997 | | at Florida | W 88–76 | 20–7 (9–6) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Mar 1, 1997 | | Tennessee | W 69–55 | 21–7 (10–6) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| SEC Tournament ||||||
| Mar 6, 1997* | (E3) No. 24 | vs. (W6) LSU First round | W 75–54 | 22–7 | The Pyramid Memphis, Tennessee |
| Mar 7, 1997* | (E3) No. 24 | vs. (W2) Arkansas Quarterfinals | W 65–63 | 23–7 | The Pyramid Memphis, Tennessee |
| Mar 8, 1997* | (E3) No. 24 | vs. (E1) No. 4 South Carolina Semifinals | W 78–63 | 24–7 | The Pyramid Memphis, Tennessee |
| Mar 9, 1997* | (E3) No. 24 | vs. (E2) No. 6 Kentucky Championship game | L 68–95 | 24–8 | The Pyramid Memphis, Tennessee |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 14, 1997* | (3 SE) No. 17 | vs. (14 SE) Chattanooga First round | L 70–73 | 24–9 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||