1997 SEC men's basketball tournament
| 1997 SEC men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 1996–97 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Site | Pyramid Arena Memphis, Tennessee |
| Champions | Kentucky Wildcats (21st title) |
| Winning coach | Rick Pitino (5th title) |
| MVP | Ron Mercer (Kentucky) |
| Attendance | 172,027 |
| Television | Jefferson Pilot Sports (1st Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals) CBS (Championship game) |
The 1997 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament took place from March 6-9, 1997 at The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee. The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team won the tournament and the SEC’s automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 95-68 in the championship game. [1] [2]
Television Coverage
The first round, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals were regionally televised and syndicated by Jefferson Pilot Sports. The championship game was televised nationally on CBS.
Tournament notes
- This was the second time that the Pyramid hosted the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament.
- The 1997 tournament was Rick Pitino’s final tournament title win before he left the University of Kentucky to take a coaching job with the Boston Celtics.
Bracket
| First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship Game | ||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Alabama | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Florida | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | South Carolina | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Alabama | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | South Carolina | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Georgia | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Arkansas | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Georgia | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Georgia | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | LSU | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Georgia | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Kentucky | 95 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Vanderbilt | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Mississippi State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Ole Miss | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Vanderbilt | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Ole Miss | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Kentucky | 88 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Kentucky | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Auburn | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Auburn | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Tennessee | 54 | |||||||||||||||||