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 | #4 South Carolina | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Alabama | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | #4 South Carolina | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | #24 Georgia | 78 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Arkansas | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | #24 Georgia | 65 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | #24 Georgia | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | LSU | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | #24 Georgia | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | #6 Kentucky | 95 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Vanderbilt | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Mississippi State | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Ole Miss | 64 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Vanderbilt | 62 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Ole Miss | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | #6 Kentucky | 88 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | #6 Kentucky | 92 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Auburn | 50 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Auburn | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Tennessee | 54 | |||||||||||||||||