1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season Basketball season
The 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1995 and concluded with the 64-team 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament , whose finals were held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford , New Jersey . The Kentucky Wildcats earned their sixth national championship by defeating the Syracuse Orangemen 76–67 on April 1, 1996. They were coached by Rick Pitino , and the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player was Kentucky's Tony Delk .
In the 32-team 1996 National Invitation Tournament , the Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the Saint Joseph's Hawks at Madison Square Garden in New York City .
Following the season, the 1996 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American Consensus First Team included Ray Allen , Marcus Camby , Tony Delk, Tim Duncan , Allen Iverson , and Kerry Kittles .
Season headlines
Pre-season polls
The top 25 from the pre-season AP Poll.
Conference membership changes
These schools joined new conferences for the 1995–96 season.
Regular season
Conferences
Conference winners and tournaments
Twenty-nine conferences concluded their seasons with a single-elimination tournament, with only the Big Ten Conference , Ivy League and Pac-10 Conference choosing not to conduct conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners, with the exception of those of the American West Conference and Conference USA , received an automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament .
Conference
Regular season winner[ 1]
Conference player of the year
Conference tournament
Tournament venue (City)
Tournament winner
American West Conference
Cal Poly
Ben Larson , Cal Poly[ 2]
1996 American West Conference men's basketball tournament
Matadome (Northridge, California )
Southern Utah
Atlantic 10 Conference
UMass (East)George Washington (West) Virginia Tech (West)
Marcus Camby , UMass
1996 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament
Philadelphia Civic Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania )
UMass
Atlantic Coast Conference
Georgia Tech
Tim Duncan , Wake Forest
1996 ACC men's basketball tournament
Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina )
Wake Forest
Big East Conference
Connecticut (Big East 6) Georgetown (Big East 7)
Ray Allen , Connecticut
1997 Big East men's basketball tournament
Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York )
Connecticut
Big Eight Conference
Kansas
Jacque Vaughn , Kansas
1996 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament
Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri )
Iowa State
Big Sky Conference
Montana State
Jimmy DeGraffenried , Weber State Quadre Lollis , Montana State
1996 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament
Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (Bozeman, Montana )
Montana State
Big South Conference
UNC Greensboro
T. L. Latson , Charleston Southern
1996 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament
Vines Center (Lynchburg, Virginia )
UNC Greensboro
Big Ten Conference
Purdue
Brian Evans , Indiana
No Tournament
Big West Conference
Long Beach State
Raimonds Miglinieks , UC Irvine
1997 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament
Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nevada )
San Jose State
Colonial Athletic Association
VCU
Bernard Hopkins , VCU
1996 CAA men's basketball tournament
Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia )
VCU
Conference USA
Cincinnati (Blue) Tulane (Red) Memphis (White)
Danny Fortson , Cincinnati
1996 Conference USA men's basketball tournament
Memphis Pyramid (Memphis, Tennessee )
Cincinnati
Ivy League
Princeton
Ira Bowman , Penn
No Tournament
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Fairfield Iona
Darrell Barley , Canisius
1996 MAAC men's basketball tournament
Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, New York )
Canisius
Mid-American Conference
Eastern Michigan
Bonzi Wells , Ball State
1996 MAC men's basketball tournament
SeaGate Convention Centre (Toledo, Ohio )
Eastern Michigan
Mid-Continent Conference
Valparaiso
Anthony Allison , Valparaiso
1996 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament
The MARK of the Quad Cities (Moline, Illinois )
Valparaiso
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Coppin State
Terquin Mott , Coppin State
1997 MEAC men's basketball tournament
Leon County Civic Center (Tallahassee, Florida )
South Carolina State
Midwestern Collegiate Conference
Green Bay
Jeff Nordgaard , Green Bay
1996 MCC men's basketball tournament
Nutter Center (Dayton, Ohio )
Northern Illinois
Missouri Valley Conference
Bradley
Anthony Parker , Bradley
1996 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament
Kiel Center (St. Louis, Missouri )
Tulsa
North Atlantic Conference
Drexel
Malik Rose , Drexel
1996 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball tournament
Daskalakis Athletic Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania )
Drexel
Northeast Conference
Mount St. Mary's
Chris McGuthrie , Mount St. Mary's
1996 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament
William T. Boylan Gymnasium (West Long Branch, New Jersey )
Monmouth
Ohio Valley Conference
Murray State
Marcus Brown , Murray State
1996 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament
Nashville Municipal Auditorium (Nashville, Tennessee )
Austin Peay
Pacific-10 Conference
Arizona
Shareef Abdur-Rahim , California
No Tournament
Patriot League
Colgate Navy
Adonal Foyle , Colgate
1996 Patriot League men's basketball tournament
Cotterell Court (Hamilton, New York )
Colgate
Southeastern Conference
Kentucky (East)Mississippi State (West)
Tony Delk , Kentucky
1996 SEC men's basketball tournament
Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana )
Mississippi State
Southern Conference
Davidson (North)Western Carolina (South)
Anquell McCollum , Western Carolina
1996 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament
Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina )
Western Carolina
Southland Conference
Louisiana–Monroe
Paul Marshall , Louisiana–Monroe
1996 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament
Hirsch Memorial Coliseum (Shreveport, Louisiana )
Louisiana–Monroe
Southwest Conference
Texas Tech
Jason Sasser , Texas Tech
1996 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament
Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas )
Texas Tech
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Jackson State Mississippi Valley State
Marcus Mann , Mississippi Valley State
1997 SWAC men's basketball tournament
—
Mississippi Valley State
Sun Belt Conference
Little Rock New Orleans
Derek Fisher , Little Rock
1996 Sun Belt men's basketball tournament
Barton Coliseum (Little Rock, Arkansas )
New Orleans
Trans America Athletic Conference
College of Charleston (East)Samford (West)Southeastern Louisiana (West)
Thaddeus Delaney , College of Charleston
1996 TAAC men's basketball tournament
Edmunds Center (DeLand, Florida )
UCF
West Coast Conference
Gonzaga Santa Clara
Steve Nash , Santa Clara
1996 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament
Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, California )
Portland
Western Athletic Conference
Utah
Keith Van Horn , Utah
1996 WAC men's basketball tournament
The Pit (Albuquerque, New Mexico )
New Mexico
Conference standings
1995–96 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Indiana [ a]
13
–
5
.722
20
–
11
.645
No. 18 Penn State
12
–
6
.667
21
–
7
.750
No. 21 Iowa [ b]
12
–
6
.667
24
–
8
.750
Minnesota [ c]
11
–
7
.611
20
–
10
.667
Wisconsin [ d]
9
–
9
.500
18
–
14
.563
Michigan State
9
–
9
.500
16
–
16
.500
Illinois
7
–
11
.389
18
–
13
.581
No. 4 Purdue [ e]
6
–
12
.333
7
–
23
.233
Ohio State [ f]
5
–
13
.278
12
–
15
.444
Northwestern [ g]
4
–
14
.222
9
–
18
.333
Michigan [ h]
1
–
8
.111
1
–
10
.091
Rankings from AP Poll Records above are after NCAA sanctions against Minnesota, Purdue, and Michigan as noted:[ 9]
^ Indiana adjusted from 12–6, 19–12
^ Iowa adjusted from 11–7, 23–9
^ Minnesota adjusted from 10–8, 19–13 (vacated 2 games)
^ Wisconsin adjusted from 8–10, 17–15
^ Purdue adjusted from 15–3, 26–6 (forfeit 18 wins, vacated 2 games)
^ Ohio State adjusted from 3–15, 10–17
^ Northwestern adjusted from 2–16, 7–20
^ Michigan adjusted from 10–8/21–11 (vacated 21 games)
1995–96 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Princeton
12
–
2
.857
22
–
7
.759
Penn
12
–
2
.857
17
–
10
.630
Dartmouth
9
–
5
.643
16
–
10
.615
Harvard
7
–
7
.500
15
–
11
.577
Brown
5
–
9
.357
10
–
16
.385
Cornell
5
–
9
.357
10
–
16
.385
Yale
3
–
11
.214
8
–
18
.308
Columbia
3
–
11
.214
7
–
19
.269
Rankings from AP Poll [ 11]
1995–96 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 14 UCLA
16
–
2
.889
23
–
8
.742
No. 11 Arizona
14
–
4
.778
27
–
6
.818
Stanford
12
–
6
.667
21
–
8
.724
Washington State
9
–
9
.500
18
–
11
.621
Washington
9
–
9
.500
16
–
12
.571
Oregon
9
–
9
.500
16
–
13
.552
USC
6
–
12
.333
13
–
17
.433
Arizona State
6
–
12
.333
11
–
16
.407
Oregon State
4
–
14
.222
6
–
21
.222
California 1
2
–
16
.111
2
–
26
.071
As of November 23, 2011 Rankings from AP Poll 1 California forfeited games due to infractions.
1995–96 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
No. 8 Texas Tech †
14
–
0
1.000
30
–
2
.938
Houston
11
–
3
.786
17
–
10
.630
Texas
10
–
4
.714
21
–
10
.677
TCU
6
–
8
.429
15
–
15
.500
Rice
5
–
9
.357
14
–
14
.500
Texas A&M
3
–
11
.214
11
–
16
.407
SMU
3
–
11
.214
8
–
20
.286
Baylor
4
–
10
.286
9
–
18
.333
† 1996 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
Division I independents
Two schools played as Division I independents . They had no postseason play.[ 21]
1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Oral Roberts
-
–
-
–
18
–
9
.667
Wofford
-
–
-
–
4
–
22
.154
Rankings from AP Poll
For the fifth consecutive season, the Philadelphia Big 5 did not play a full round-robin schedule in which each team met each other team once, a format it had used from its first season of competition in 1955–56 through the 1990–91 season . Instead, each team played only two games against other Big 5 members, and Temple finished with a 2–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Big 5. The Big 5 did not revive its full round-robin schedule until the 1999–2000 season .
Statistical leaders
Source for additional stats categories
Postseason tournaments
NCAA tournament
National semifinals
National championship game
E1
Massachusetts
74
M1
Kentucky
81
M1
Kentucky
76
W4
Syracuse
67
SE5
Mississippi State
69
W4
Syracuse
77
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
Semifinals
Finals
Tulane
78
Nebraska
90
Nebraska
60
Saint Joseph's
56
Alabama
69
Saint Joseph's
74
Third place
Tulane
87
Alabama
76
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
[ 22]
Major player of the year awards
Major freshman of the year awards
USBWA Freshman of the Year: No Award Given
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
Coaching changes
This section
needs expansion . You can help by
adding to it .
(September 2021 )
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
References
^ "2001 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF) . NCAA. 2001. Retrieved February 4, 2009 .
^ Leef, Ralph (April 3, 1996). "Cal Poly team really turned things around" . The Press Democrat . Santa Rosa, California . p. 22. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1995-96 American West Conference Season Summary" . Sports Reference . Retrieved July 16, 2024 .
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Big East Conference Season Summary
^ Keefe, Gavin, "Big East Notes: The Big East 7 and Big East 6? Big Deal!", The Day , January 1, 1996, p. 7.
^ "PLUS: COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- BIG EAST CONFERENCE; League Cuts Games In Search of Bids," The New York Times , August 7, 1998.
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
^ "Division I Records" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association . p. 56. Retrieved March 16, 2021 .
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Conference USA Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Ivy Group Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Mid-Continent Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Southland Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Trans America Athletic Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 West Coast Conference Season Summary
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
^ "1995-96 Men's Independent Season Summary" . Sports Reference . Retrieved September 5, 2024 .
^ NCAA Record Book - DIVISION I CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS p.6