# 1996–97 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by Gene Keady and played its home games at Mackey Arena.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 24, 1996* | | Idaho | W 86–63 | 1–0 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Nov 26, 1996* | | at Western Michigan | W 65–56 | 2–0 | University Arena Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Nov 30, 1996* | | Bowling Green State | L 83–86 | 2–1 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Dec 3, 1996* | | vs. No. 6 Kentucky Great Eight | L 87–101 | 2–2 | United Center (20,171) Chicago, Illinois |
| Dec 6, 1996* | | Cornell | W 69–55 | 3–2 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Dec 7, 1996* | | Long Beach State | W 86–71 | 4–2 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Dec 14, 1996* | | vs. No. 22 Louisville | L 72–88 | 4–3 | Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Dec 16, 1996* | | Tennessee-Martin | W 75–45 | 5–3 | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Dec 21, 1996* | | at Oklahoma | L 58–82 | 5–4 | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma |
| Dec 30, 1996* | | at TCU | L 69–97 | 5–5 | Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Fort Worth, Texas |
| Jan 2, 1997 | | at No. 24 Illinois | W 75–69 | 6–5 (1–0) | Assembly Hall Champaign, Illinois |
| Jan 7, 1997 | | Iowa | L 56–59 | 6–6 (1–1) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Jan 11, 1997 | | Northwestern | W 78–53 | 7–6 (2–1) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Jan 16, 1997 | | at No. 18 Michigan | L 65–89 | 7–7 (2–2) | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Jan 18, 1997 | | No. 17 Indiana | W 70–53 | 8–7 (3–2) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Jan 22, 1997 | | Wisconsin | W 60–52 | 9–7 (4–2) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Jan 25, 1997 | | at No. 8 Minnesota | L 68–91 | 9–8 (4–3) | Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Jan 29, 1997 | | Michigan State | W 72–62 | 10–8 (5–3) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Feb 1, 1997 | | at Penn State | W 67–62 | 11–8 (6–3) | Bryce Jordan Center University Park, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 5, 1997 | | Ohio State | W 94–77 | 12–8 (7–3) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Feb 8, 1997 | | at Michigan State | W 77–62 | 13–8 (8–3) | Breslin Student Events Center East Lansing, Michigan |
| Feb 12, 1997 | | No. 3 Minnesota | L 67–70 | 13–9 (8–4) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Feb 15, 1997 | | at Wisconsin | L 52–69 | 13–10 (8–5) | Wisconsin Field House Madison, Wisconsin |
| Feb 18, 1997 | | at No. 24 Indiana | W 89–87 $^{OT}$ | 14–10 (9–5) | Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana |
| Feb 23, 1997* | | No. 18 Michigan | W 67–58 | 15–10 (10–5) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| Feb 26, 1997 | | at Northwestern | W 72–61 | 16–10 (11–5) | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois |
| Mar 1, 1997 | | at Iowa | L 62–84 | 16–11 (11–6) | Carver-Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, Iowa |
| Mar 8, 1997 | | No. 15 Illinois | W 77–69 | 17–11 (12–6) | Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1997* | (8 SE) | vs. (9 SE) Rhode Island First round | W 83–76 | 18–11 | The Pyramid Memphis, Tennessee |
| Mar 15, 1997* | (8 SE) | vs. (1 SE) No. 1 Kansas Second round | L 61–75 | 18–12 | The Pyramid Memphis, Tennessee |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. SE=Southeast. ||||||