The 1996–97 Coppin State Eagles men's basketball team represented Coppin State University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by 11th year head coach Fang Mitchell, played their home games at the Coppin Center and were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 15–3 in MEAC play to win the conference regular season title. The Eagles then went on to win the MEAC tournament title to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 15 seed in the East region. In the opening round, Coppin State became the third No. 15 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game, and the first to do so by double digits, as they defeated No. 2 seed South Carolina 78–65.[2] The Eagles narrowly missed out on becoming the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen when they lost in the second round to No. 10 seed Texas, 82–81.[3]
| 1996–97 Coppin State Eagles men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
MEAC regular season champions MEAC tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, second round | |
| Conference | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
| Record | 22–9 (15–3 MEAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home arena | Coppin Center |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coppin State † | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 22 | – | 9 | .710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 14 | – | 14 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina A&T | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 15 | – | 13 | .536 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bethune–Cookman | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 12 | – | 16 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morgan State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 9 | – | 18 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida A&M | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 8 | – | 19 | .296 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hampton | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 8 | – | 19 | .296 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 7 | – | 20 | .259 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 7 | – | 20 | .259 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland Eastern Shore | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 11 | – | 17 | .393 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 1997 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roster edit
| 1996–97 Coppin State Eagles men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results edit
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| Nov 30, 1996* |
at Oklahoma | L 64–88 | 0–1 |
Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma | |||||||
| Dec 6, 1996* |
at Nebraska | L 72–88 | 0–2 |
Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, Nebraska | |||||||
| Dec 7, 1996* |
vs. Colgate | W 69–59 | 1–2 |
Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, Nebraska | |||||||
| Dec 10, 1996* |
Duquesne | W 91–57 | 2–2 |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Dec 12, 1996* |
at Kansas State | L 80–84 OT | 2–3 |
Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas | |||||||
| Dec 14, 1996* |
at Illinois | L 55–91 | 2–4 |
Assembly Hall (14,269) Champaign, Illinois | |||||||
| Dec 27, 1996* |
vs. Weber State Oldsmobile Spartan Classic |
L 91–92 OT | 2–5 |
Breslin Center East Lansing, Michigan | |||||||
| Dec 28, 1996* |
vs. Kent State Oldsmobile Spartan Classic |
W 77–66 | 3–5 |
Breslin Center East Lansing, Michigan | |||||||
| Jan 9, 1997 |
at South Carolina State | L 88–92 | 3–6 (0–1) |
SHM Memorial Center Orangeburg, South Carolina | |||||||
| Jan 11, 1997 |
at Hampton | W 76–69 | 4–6 (1–1) |
Convocation Center Hampton, Virginia | |||||||
| Jan 15, 1997 |
North Carolina A&T | L 70–76 | 4–7 (1–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Jan 18, 1997 |
Hampton | W 81–61 | 5–7 (2–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Jan 20, 1997 |
at Maryland Eastern Shore | W 85–79 | 6–7 (3–2) |
Tawes Gymnasium Princess Anne, Maryland | |||||||
| Jan 25, 1997 |
Florida A&M | W 84–67 | 7–7 (4–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Jan 27, 1997 |
Bethune-Cookman | W 63–62 | 8–7 (5–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Jan 30, 1997 |
at Howard | W 93–79 | 9–7 (6–2) |
Burr Gymnasium Washington, D.C. | |||||||
| Feb 1, 1997 |
at Morgan State | W 81–56 | 10–7 (7–2) |
Hill Field House Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Feb 5, 1997 |
at Delaware State | W 90–83 OT | 11–7 (8–2) |
Memorial Hall Dover, Delaware | |||||||
| Feb 8, 1997 |
Morgan State | W 82–68 | 12–7 (9–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Feb 10, 1997 |
Howard | W 96–66 | 13–7 (10–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Feb 12, 1997 |
Delaware State | W 88–66 | 14–7 (11–2) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Feb 15, 1997 |
at Florida A&M | L 82–86 | 14–8 (11–3) |
Gaither Athletic Center Tallahassee, Florida | |||||||
| Feb 17, 1997 |
at Bethune-Cookman | W 73–56 | 15–8 (12–3) |
Moore Gymnasium Daytona Beach, Florida | |||||||
| Feb 20, 1997 |
South Carolina State | W 75–70 OT | 16–8 (13–3) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| Feb 26, 1997 |
at North Carolina A&T | W 61–57 | 17–8 (14–3) |
Corbett Sports Center Greensboro, North Carolina | |||||||
| Mar 1, 1997 |
Maryland Eastern Shore | W 80–62 | 18–8 (15–3) |
Coppin Center Baltimore, Maryland | |||||||
| MEAC tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 5, 1997* |
(1) | vs. (9) Maryland Eastern Shore Quarterfinals |
W 90–88 OT | 19–8 |
Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, Virginia | ||||||
| Mar 7, 1997* |
(1) | vs. (4) Bethune-Cookman Semifinals |
W 76–60 | 20–8 |
Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, Virginia | ||||||
| Mar 8, 1997* |
(1) | vs. (3) North Carolina A&T Championship |
W 81–74 OT | 21–8 |
Echols Memorial Hall Norfolk, Virginia | ||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 14, 1997* |
(15 E) | vs. (2 E) No. 6 South Carolina First Round |
W 78–65[2][6] | 22–8 |
Civic Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Mar 16, 1997* |
(15 E) | vs. (10 E) Texas Second Round |
L 81–82[3] | 22–9 |
Civic Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
References edit
- ^ sports-reference.com 1996-97 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Season Summary
- ^ a b "Coppin State Stuns No. 2 South Carolina". The Washington Post. March 14, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Coppin St. Has Its Wild Ride Halted". The New York Times. March 17, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "1996-97 Men's Basketball Roster". Coppin State University Athletics. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "1996-97 Coppin State Eagles Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Coppin mission wins impossible Eagles' belief rewarded in stunning, 78-65 upset of 2nd seed S. Carolina". Baltimore Sun. March 15, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "1996-97 Men's Basketball Schedule". Coppin State University Athletics. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "2019-20 Coppin State Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Coppin State University Athletics. Retrieved June 6, 2021.