1996–97 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 1996–97 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team's head coach was David Hobbs , who was in his fifth season at Alabama. The team played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama . They finished the season with a record of 17–14, with a conference record of 6–10, which placed them in a tie for third in the SEC Western Division.
The Tide defeated Florida in the first round of the 1997 SEC men's basketball tournament , but lost to South Carolina in the quarterfinal. The Tide did not an invite to a postseason tournament, marking the first time the Tide didn't participate in the postseason since the 1987–88 season.
Roster
1996–97 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
14
Eric Washington
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
—
Sr
Pearl High School
Pearl, Mississippi
G
4
Brian Williams
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
—
So
Davis High School
Montgomery, Alabama
F
Anton Reese
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
—
So
Lithonia High School
Lithonia, Georgia
C
54
Thalamus McGhee
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
—
Sr
Westfield High School
Houston, Texas
F
25
M.C. Mazique
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
So
Brooklyn, New York
G
30
Damon Bacote
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
—
Jr
Hampton High School
Hampton, Virginia
G
34
Blake Thrasher
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
So
C
44
Scott Hamilton
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
—
Jr
F
35
Demetrius Alexander
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
—
Jr
Hazelwood Central HS/Hutchinson CC
St. Louis, Missouri
G
George Brown
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
—
Jr
F
Ricky Poole
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
—
Jr
C
52
Jeremy Hays
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
—
Fr
Boaz High School
Boaz, Alabama
G
Nick Wilmott
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
—
Fr
G
21
Dejuan Thrasher
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
Fr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site city, state
Regular Season
Nov 22, 1996 *
vs. UNC Wilmington Top of The World Classic
W 58–51
1–0
Carlson Center Fairbanks, AK
Nov 23, 1996 *
vs. Southern Illinois Top of the World Classic
W 79–58
2–0
Carlson Center Fairbanks, AK
Nov 24, 1996 *
vs. Middle Tennessee Top of the World Classic
W 77–74
3–0
Carlson Center Fairbanks, AK
Nov 30, 1996 *
Northeastern Illinois
W 93–50
4–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 2, 1996 *
Arkansas–Pine Bluff
W 95–44
5–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 5, 1996 *
No. 16 Minnesota
W 70–67
6–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 7, 1996 *
FIU
W 80–65
7–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 14, 1996 *
No. 24
Western Carolina
W 100–48
8–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 18, 1996 *
No. 20
North Texas
W 72–55
9–0
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Dec 21, 1996 *
No. 20
vs. VCU Holiday Hoopfest
W 72–69
10–0
UAB Arena Birmingham, AL
Dec 27, 1996 *
No. 19
at San Jose State Cable Car Classic
L 59–60 OT
10–1
The Event Center San Jose, CA
Dec 28, 1996 *
No. 19
vs. Santa Clara Cable Car Classic
L 62–77
10–2
San Jose Arena San Jose, CA
Jan 4, 1997
at Vanderbilt
L 84–92
10–3 (0–1)
Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN
Jan 8, 1997
at Ole Miss
W 59–46
11–3 (1–1)
Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS
Jan 11, 1997 *
Syracuse
L 66–70
11–4
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 15, 1997
Arkansas
L 68–72
11–5 (1–2)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 18, 1997
at Florida
L 66–85
11–6 (1–3)
O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL
Jan 22, 1997
South Carolina
L 60–62
11–7 (1–4)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 25, 1997
LSU
W 75–66
12–7 (2–4)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 28, 1997
at Auburn
L 62–72
12–8 (2–5)
Beard–Eaves Coliseum Auburn, AL
Feb 1, 1997
at Mississippi State
L 51–64
12–9 (2–6)
Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS
Feb 5, 1997
Georgia
L 74–83
12–10 (2–7)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 8, 1997
at Tennessee
L 61–65
12–11 (2–8)
Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, TN
Feb 12, 1997
Ole Miss
W 57–54
13–11 (3–8)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 15, 1997
at LSU
W 78–72
14–11 (4–8)
Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 19, 1997
No. 3 Kentucky
L 61–75
14–12 (4–9)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 22, 1997
Auburn
W 55–50
15–12 (5–9)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 26, 1997
at Arkansas
L 53–73
15–13 (5–10)
Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR
Mar 1, 1997
Mississippi State
W 78–49
16–13 (6–10)
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC Tournament
Mar 6, 1997
(4 W)
vs. (5 E) Florida SEC Tournament First Round
W 80–66
17–13
The Pyramid Memphis, TN
Mar 7, 1997
(4 W)
vs. (1 E) No. 4 South Carolina SEC Tournament Quarterfinals
L 61–72
17–14
The Pyramid Memphis, TN
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
Sources[ 1]
References
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics