1997 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament

The 1997 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament was played from March 5 to March 8, 1997. The tournament was played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The winner was named champion of the Atlantic 10 Conference and received an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Saint Joseph's University won the tournament. Massachusetts' second round loss to George Washington was their first loss in the conference tournament since 1991. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Temple, and Xavier also received bids to the NCAA Tournament. Rashid Bey of Saint Joseph's was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Future NBA player Tyson Wheeler of Rhode Island was among those also named to the All-Championship Team. The top two teams in each division received a first-round bye.

1997 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season1996–97
Teams12
SiteThe Spectrum
Philadelphia
ChampionsSaint Joseph's
Winning coachPhil Martelli (1st title)
MVPRashid Bey (Saint Joseph's)
1996–97 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
East
No. 12 Saint Joseph's †13–3 .813  26–7  .788
Rhode Island12–4 .750  20–10  .667
UMass11–5 .688  19–14  .576
Temple10–6 .625  20–11  .645
St. Bonaventure5–11 .313  14–14  .500
Fordham1–15 .063  6–21  .222
West
No. 13 Xavier13–3 .813  23–6  .793
George Washington8–8 .500  15–14  .517
Virginia Tech7–9 .438  15–16  .484
Dayton6–10 .375  13–14  .481
La Salle5–11 .313  10–17  .370
Duquesne5–11 .313  9–18  .333
† 1997 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Bracket
  First Round
Wednesday, March 5		 Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 6		 Semifinals
Friday, March 7		 Final
Saturday, March 8
                                     
 
  E1 #19 Saint Joseph's 71  
    E5 St. Bonaventure 59  
W4 Dayton 75
E5 St. Bonaventure 81  
  E1 #19 Saint Joseph's 78  
  W2 George Washington 70  
 
 
  W2 George Washington 58
    E3 Massachusetts 49  
E3 Massachusetts 64
W6 La Salle 49  
  E1 #19 Saint Joseph's 61
  E2 Rhode Island 56
 
 
  W1 #11 Xavier 62
    E4 Temple 69*  
E4 Temple 64
W5 Duquesne 47  
  E4 Temple 66
  E2 Rhode Island 69*  
 
 
  E2 Rhode Island 67
    W3 Virginia Tech 63  
W3 Virginia Tech 56
E6 Fordham 53  

All games played at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* - Overtime

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