1996–97 Boston University Terriers men's basketball team

1996–97 Boston University Terriers men's basketball
America East Regular season champions
America East tournament champions
ConferenceAmerica East Conference
Record25–5 (17–1 AE)
Head coach
Home arenaCase Gym
Seasons
1996–97 America East Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Boston University † 17 – 1   .944 25 – 5   .833
Drexel 16 – 2   .889 22 – 9   .710
Hartford 11 – 7   .611 17 – 11   .607
Hofstra 9 – 9   .500 12 – 15   .444
Delaware 9 – 9   .500 12 – 15   .444
Vermont 7 – 11   .389 14 – 13   .519
Northeastern 6 – 12   .333 7 – 20   .259
Maine 6 – 12   .333 11 – 20   .355
New Hampshire 5 – 13   .278 7 – 20   .259
Towson State 5 – 13   .278 9 – 19   .321
† 1997 America East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 1996–97 Boston University Terriers men's basketball team represented Boston University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Terriers, led by third year head coach Dennis Wolff, played their home games at Case Gym and were members of the America East Conference. They finished the season 25–5, 17–1 in America East play to win the regular season conference title. The Terriers won the America East tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 12 seed in the Midwest region. Boston University was defeated by top seed Tulsa in the opening round, 81–52.[1]

Senior forward Tunji Awojobi was selected America East Player of the Year and finished his career as BU's all-time leader in scoring, rebounding, and blocks.

Roster

1996–97 Boston University Terriers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
PF 12 Tunji Awojobi 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Lagos, Nigeria
C 5 Joey Beard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
 Jr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[2]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 22, 1996*
 vs. Florida A&M W 85–54  1–0
 Charles E. Smith Center (4,000)
Washington, D.C.
Nov 23, 1996*
 at No. 24 George Washington L 68–73  1–1
 Charles E. Smith Center (4,540)
Washington, D.C.
Nov 30, 1996*
 vs. East Carolina W 68–66  2–1
 Halifax Metro Centre (3,612)
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dec 6, 1996
 at Towson State W 81–63  3–1
(1–0) 		Towson Center (975)
Towson, Maryland
Dec 8, 1996
 at Delaware W 58–56  4–1
(2–0) 		Bob Carpenter Center (2,827)
Newark, Delaware
Dec 10, 1996*
 at Harvard W 80–72  5–1
 Lavietes Pavilion (745)
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dec 12, 1996*
 at TCU L 80–81  5–2
 Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (3,692)
Fort Worth, Texas
Dec 23, 1996*
 at Rhode Island L 61–69  5–3
 Keaney Gymnasium (3,001)
Kingston, Rhode Island
Dec 27, 1996*
 vs. Loyola (MD) W 71–51  6–3
 Sun Dome (2,000)
Tampa, Florida
Dec 28, 1996*
 at South Florida W 65–49  7–3
 Sun Dome (3,613)
Tampa, Florida
Jan 2, 1997
 at New Hampshire W 61–54  8–3
(3–0) 		Lundholm Gym (1,050)
Durham, New Hampshire
Jan 4, 1997
 Maine W 67–62 OT 9–3
(4–0) 		Case Gym (801)
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 10, 1997
 Hofstra W 70–65  10–3
(5–0) 		Case Gym (748)
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 12, 1997
 Drexel W 71–67 OT 11–3
(6–0) 		Case Gym (1,064)
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 16, 1997
 at Hartford W 61–49  12–3
(7–0) 		Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (1,136)
Hartford, Connecticut
Jan 18, 1997
 at Vermont W 69–68  13–3
(8–0) 		Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium (1,200)
Burlington, Vermont
Jan 21, 1997
 Northeastern W 59–48  14–3
(9–0) 		Case Gym (1,039)
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 24, 1997
 Delaware W 79–72 OT 15–3
(10–0) 		Case Gym (967)
Boston, Massachusetts
Jan 26, 1997
 Towson State W 78–69  16–3
(11–0) 		Case Gym (845)
Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 1, 1997
 at Northeastern W 70–52  17–3
(12–0) 		Matthews Arena (1,251)
Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 7, 1997
 at Hofstra W 70–58  18–3
(13–0) 		Physical Fitness Center (2,237)
Hempstead, New York
Feb 9, 1997
 at Drexel L 42–73  18–4
(13–1) 		Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,369)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 13, 1997
 Vermont W 61–56  19–4
(14–1) 		Case Gym (819)
Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 15, 1997
 Hartford W 69–66  20–4
(15–1) 		Case Gym (1,965)
Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 20, 1997
 New Hampshire W 63–60  21–4
(16–1) 		Case Gym (1,842)
Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 23, 1997
 at Maine W 57–50  22–4
(17–1) 		Alfond Arena (3,553)
Orono, Maine
America East tournament
Mar 1, 1997*
 vs. Maine
Quarterfinals 		W 67–49  23–4
 Bob Carpenter Center (2,778)
Newark, Delaware
Mar 2, 1997*
 at Delaware
Semifinals 		W 69–65  24–4
 Bob Carpenter Center (3,500)
Newark, Delaware
Mar 7, 1997*
 Drexel
Championship game 		W 68–61  25–4
 Case Gym (2,200)
Boston, Massachusetts
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1997*
 (12 MW) vs. (5 MW) Tulsa
First round 		L 52–81  25–5
 Kemper Arena (12,100)
Kansas City, Missouri
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[3][4]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ "Call TU the Boston Strangler". Tulsa World. March 15, 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "1996–97 Boston University Terriers Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "2019-20 Boston University Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Boston University Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "1996-1997 Boston University Terriers Basketball Stats" (PDF). NCAA Career Statistics.