# 1997 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament

The 1997 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was the 23rd 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, and each program was allocated to one of four sectionals. All sectional games were played on campus sites, while the national semifinals, third-place final, and championship finals were contested at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.
Illinois Wesleyan defeated Nebraska Wesleyan, 89–86, in the final, clinching their first national title.
The Titans (29–2) were coached by Dennie Bridges. Bryan Crabtree, also from Illinois Wesleyan, was named Most Outstanding Player.

## Bracket
### Top left sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| Widener | 70 | | | | | | | |
| Dickinson | 62 | | | | | | | |
| Dickinson | 62 | Widener | 65 | | | | | |
| | | Salisbury State | 77 | | | | | |
| Salisbury State | 101 | Salisbury State | 77 | | | | | |
| Wilkes | 90 | | | | | | | |
| Wilkes | 90 | | | Salisbury State | 79 | | | |
| | | | | Brockport | 78 | | | |
| St. Lawrence | 63 | | | | | Brockport | 78 | | | |
| Brockport State | 64 | | | | | | | |
| Brockport State | 64 | Brockport State | 73 | | | | | |
| | | St. John Fisher | 68 | | | | | |
| St. John Fisher | 77 | St. John Fisher | 68 | | | | | |
| Cortland State | 70 | | | | | | | |
| Cortland State | 70 | | | | | | Salisbury State | 84 |
| | | | | | | | Alvernia | 89 |
| Alvernia | 69 | | | | | | | | Alvernia | 89 |
| Lebanon Valley | 55 | | | | | | | |
| Lebanon Valley | 55 | Alvernia | 60 | | | | | |
| | | Goucher | 55 | | | | | |
| Goucher | 67 | Goucher | 55 | | | | | |
| Cabrini | 60 | | | | | | | |
| Cabrini | 60 | | | Alvernia | 77 | | | |
| | | | | RIT | 71 | | | |
| Buffalo State | 70 | | | | | RIT | 71 | | | |
| Hamilton | 66 | | | | | | | |
| Hamilton | 66 | Buffalo State | 106 | | | | | |
| | | RIT | 111** | | | | | |
| RIT | 65 | RIT | 111** | | | | | |
| Rochester | 64 | | | | | | | |

### Bottom left sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| Hampden–Sydney | 74 | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | 79 | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | 79 | Christopher Newport | 67 | | | | | |
| | | Methodist | 72 | | | | | |
| Methodist | 67 | Methodist | 72 | | | | | |
| Roanoke | 63 | | | | | | | |
| Roanoke | 63 | | | Methodist | 74 | | | |
| | | | | Chicago | 70 | | | |
| Chicago | 59 | | | | | Chicago | 70 | | | |
| Benedictine (IL) | 52 | | | | | | | |
| Benedictine (IL) | 52 | Chicago | 78 | | | | | |
| | | Wabash | 70 | | | | | |
| Wabash | 69 | Wabash | 70 | | | | | |
| Lawrence | 63 | | | | | | | |
| Lawrence | 63 | | | | | | Methodist | 63 |
| | | | | | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 95 |
| Sewanee | 68 | | | | | | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 95 |
| Rust | 61 | | | | | | | |
| Rust | 61 | Sewanee | 62 | | | | | |
| | | Bridgewater (VA) | 65 | | | | | |
| Maryville (TN) | 62 | Bridgewater (VA) | 65 | | | | | |
| Bridgewater (VA) | 64 | | | | | | | |
| Bridgewater (VA) | 64 | | | Bridgewater (VA) | 60 | | | |
| | | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 87 | | | |
| Rose–Hulman | 86 | | | | | Illinois Wesleyan | 87 | | | |
| Washington–St. Louis | 69 | | | | | | | |
| Washington–St. Louis | 69 | Rose–Hulman | 53 | | | | | |
| | | Illinois Wesleyan | 54 | | | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan | 105 | Illinois Wesleyan | 54 | | | | | |
| Maryville (MO) | 66 | | | | | | | |

### Top right sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| Rowan | 72 | | | | | | | |
| Mount Saint Vincent | 53 | | | | | | | |
| Mount Saint Vincent | 53 | Rowan | 56 | | | | | |
| | | NYU | 53 | | | | | |
| NYU | 94 | NYU | 53 | | | | | |
| Jersey City State | 84 | | | | | | | |
| Jersey City State | 84 | | | Rowan | 82 | | | |
| | | | | Salem State | 72 | | | |
| UMass Dartmouth | 63 | | | | | Salem State | 72 | | | |
| Tufts | 65 | | | | | | | |
| Tufts | 65 | Tufts | 63 | | | | | |
| | | Salem State | 83 | | | | | |
| Salem State | 69 | Salem State | 83 | | | | | |
| Springfield | 61 | | | | | | | |
| Springfield | 61 | | | | | | Rowan | 62 |
| | | | | | | | Williams | 71 |
| William Paterson | 51 | | | | | | | | Williams | 71 |
| Kings Point | 43 | | | | | | | |
| Kings Point | 43 | William Paterson | 60 | | | | | |
| | | Richard Stockton | 64 | | | | | |
| Richard Stockton | 78 | Richard Stockton | 64 | | | | | |
| York (NY) | 71 | | | | | | | |
| York (NY) | 71 | | | Richard Stockton | 61 | | | |
| | | | | Williams | 85 | | | |
| Amherst | 83 | | | | | Williams | 85 | | | |
| Colby | 60 | | | | | | | |
| Colby | 60 | Amherst | 63 | | | | | |
| | | Williams | 86 | | | | | |
| Williams | 76 | Williams | 86 | | | | | |
| Wentworth | 51 | | | | | | | |

### Bottom right sectional

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Sectional semifinals | Sectional semifinals | | Sectional finals | Sectional finals |
| Hope | 69 | | | | | | | |
| Denison | 66 | | | | | | | |
| Denison | 66 | Hope | 67 | | | | | |
| | | Wooster | 56 | | | | | |
| Ohio Northern | 58 | Wooster | 56 | | | | | |
| Wooster | 84 | | | | | | | |
| Wooster | 84 | | | Hope | 75 | | | |
| | | | | Nebraska Wesleyan | 92 | | | |
| UW–Whitewater | 67 | | | | | Nebraska Wesleyan | 92 | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 82 | | | | | | | |
| Gustavus Adolphus | 82 | Gustavus Adolphus | 59 | | | | | |
| | | Nebraska Wesleyan | 61 | | | | | |
| Nebraska Wesleyan | 93 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 61 | | | | | |
| Buena Vista | 54 | | | | | | | |
| Buena Vista | 54 | | | | | | Nebraska Wesleyan | 69 |
| | | | | | | | UW–Stevens Point | 66 |
| Wittenberg | 82 | | | | | | | | UW–Stevens Point | 66 |
| John Carroll | 68 | | | | | | | |
| John Carroll | 68 | Wittenberg | 65 | | | | | |
| | | Mount Union | 73 | | | | | |
| Mount Union | 77 | Mount Union | 73 | | | | | |
| Alfred | 69 | | | | | | | |
| Alfred | 69 | | | Mount Union | 67 | | | |
| | | | | UW–Stevens Point | 68* | | | |
| Pomona–Pitzer | 58 | | | | | UW–Stevens Point | 68* | | | |
| UW–Stevens Point | 68 | | | | | | | |
| UW–Stevens Point | 68 | UW–Stevens Point | 46 | | | | | |
| | | UW–Platteville | 43 | | | | | |
| UW–Platteville | 51 | UW–Platteville | 43 | | | | | |
| UW–Oshkosh | 43 | | | | | | | |

### National finals

* Site: Salem Civic Center, Salem, Virginia
| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Championship | National Championship | National Championship |
| Alvernia | Alvernia | 82 | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 85 | | | |
| Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 85 | Illinois Wesleyan | Illinois Wesleyan | 89 |
| | | | Nebraska Wesleyan | Nebraska Wesleyan | 86 |
| Williams | Williams | 90 | Nebraska Wesleyan | Nebraska Wesleyan | 86 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan | Nebraska Wesleyan | 101 | National Third-place | National Third-place | National Third-place |
| | | | Alvernia | Alvernia | 77 |
| | | | Williams | Williams | 78 |