# 1996–97 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The 1996–97 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Dean Smith in his 36th and final season at the school. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 22, 1996* | No. 7 | vs. No. 19 Arizona Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic | L 72–83 | 0–1 | Springfield Civic Center Springfield, MA |
| Nov 25, 1996* | No. 7 | at Richmond | W 86–75 | 1–1 | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Nov 29, 1996* | No. 14 | at Pittsburgh | W 82–61 | 2–1 | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Dec 2, 1996* | No. 14 | at Bethune-Cookman | W 106–62 | 3–1 | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Dec 6, 1996* | No. 14 | vs. USC | W 99–84 | 4–1 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC |
| Dec 7, 1996* | No. 14 | vs. South Carolina | W 86–75 | 5–1 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC |
| Dec 15, 1996* | No. 11 | at VMI | W 105–61 | 6–1 | Cameron Hall Lexington, VA |
| Dec 18, 1996* | No. 12 | vs. LSU | W 67–48 | 7–1 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| Dec 20, 1996* | No. 12 | vs. UMass | W 83–69 | 8–1 | Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, NJ |
| Dec 22, 1996* | No. 12 | at Princeton | W 69–60 | 9–1 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, NJ |
| Jan 4, 1997 | No. 11 | at No. 2 Wake Forest | L 57–81 | 9–2 (0–1) | Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| Jan 8, 1997 | No. 13 | No. 19 Maryland | L 75–85 | 9–3 (0–2) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 11, 1997 | No. 13 | at Virginia | L 63–75 | 9–4 (0–3) | University Hall Charlottesville, VA |
| Jan 15, 1997 | No. 22 | NC State | W 59–56 | 10–4 (1–3) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 18, 1997 | No. 22 | Georgia Tech | W 73–50 | 11–4 (2–3) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 22, 1997 | No. 19 | Florida State | L 71–84 | 11–5 (2–4) | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 26, 1997 | No. 19 | No. 2 Clemson | W 61–48 | 12–5 (3–4) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Jan 29, 1997 | No. 19 | at No. 12 Duke | L 73–80 | 12–6 (3–5) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC |
| Feb 1, 1997* | No. 19 | Middle Tennessee | W 99–49 | 13–6 | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 6, 1997 | No. 20 | Florida State | W 90–62 | 14–6 (4–5) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 8, 1997 | No. 20 | Virginia | W 81–57 | 15–6 (5–5) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 12, 1997 | No. 16 | at NC State | W 45–44 | 16–6 (6–5) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| Feb 15, 1997 | No. 16 | at Georgia Tech | W 72–68 | 17–6 (7–5) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, GA |
| Feb 19, 1997 | No. 12 | No. 4 Wake Forest | W 74–60 | 18–6 (8–5) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 22, 1997 | No. 12 | at No. 14 Maryland | W 93–81 | 19–6 (9–5) | Cole Fieldhouse College Park, MD |
| Feb 26, 1997 | No. 8 | at No. 12 Clemson | W 76–69 | 20–6 (10–5) | Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC |
| Mar 2, 1997 | No. 8 | No. 7 Duke | W 91–85 | 21–6 (11–5) | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| ACC tournament ||||||
| Mar 7, 1997 | (3) No. 5 | (6) Virginia Quarterfinals | W 78–68 | 22–6 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| Mar 8, 1997 | (3) No. 5 | (2) No. 8 Wake Forest Semifinals | W 86–73 | 23–6 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| Mar 9, 1997 | (3) No. 5 | (8) NC State Championship | W 64–54 | 24–6 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1997 | (1 E) No. 4 | (16 E) Fairfield First round | W 82–74 | 25–6 | Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| Mar 15, 1997 | (1 E) No. 4 | (9 E) No. 24 Colorado Second Round | W 73–56 | 26–6 | Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| Mar 21, 1997 | (1 E) No. 4 | (5 E) California Sweet Sixteen | W 63–57 | 27–6 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| Mar 23, 1997 | (1 E) No. 4 | (6 E) No. 25 Louisville Elite Eight | W 97–74 | 28–6 | Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY |
| Mar 29, 1997* | (1 E) No. 4 | vs. (4 SE) No. 15 Arizona Final Four | L 58–66 | 28–7 | RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East region. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||