1996–97 UNC Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team

The 1996–97 UNC Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the 1996–97 college basketball season. This was head coach Melvin Watkins's first of two seasons at the helm of his alma mater. The 49ers competed in Conference USA and played their home games at Dale F. Halton Arena. They finished the season 22–9 (10–4 in C-USA play) and received an at-large bid to the 1997 NCAA tournament as No. 7 seed in the West region. The 49ers defeated Georgetown in the opening round[2] before losing to No. 2 seed Utah, 77–58, in the round of 32.[3]

1996–97 UNC Charlotte 49ers men's basketball
ConferenceConference USA
Record22–9 (10–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Home arenaDale F. Halton Arena
Seasons
← 1995–96
1996–97 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Blue
No. 10 Cincinnati 12 2   .857 26 8   .765
Marquette 9 5   .643 22 9   .710
Saint Louis 4 10   .286 11 18   .379
DePaul 1 13   .071 3 23   .115
Red
Tulane 11 3   .786 20 11   .645
UAB 7 7   .500 18 14   .563
Southern Miss 6 8   .429 12 15   .444
South Florida 2 12   .143 8 19   .296
White
UNC Charlotte 10 4   .714 22 9   .710
Memphis 10 4   .714 16 15   .516
No. 25 Louisville 9 5   .643 26 9   .743
Houston 3 11   .214 11 16   .407
1997 Conference USA Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

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1996–97 Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F 4 DeMarco Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Charlotte, North Carolina
G 5 Sean Colson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F/C 33 DeMarco Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Charlotte, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

[4]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
Nov 26, 1996*
at Kent State W 96–82  1–0
Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center 
Kent, Ohio
Nov 30, 1996*
at Old Dominion L 64–65  1–1
Norfolk Scope 
Norfolk, Virginia
Dec 2, 1996*
Appalachian State W 75–63  2–1
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dec 6, 1996*
South Carolina L 60–75  2–2
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dec 7, 1996*
USC L 61–65  2–3
Charlotte Coliseum 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dec 14, 1996*
at Davidson W 70–68  3–3
Belk Arena 
Davidson, North Carolina
Dec 18, 1996*
Southern Illinois W 71–62  4–3
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dec 21, 1996*
at Canisius W 54–51  5–3
Koessler Athletic Center 
Buffalo, New York
Dec 28, 1996*
Tennessee W 72–51  6–3
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dec 30, 1996*
George Washington W 76–69  7–3
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 4, 1997*
VMI W 96–76  8–3
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 6, 1997
No. 14 Louisville L 81–92  8–4
(0–1)
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 9, 1997
Memphis W 71–65  9–4
(1–1)
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 11, 1997
Saint Louis W 81–52  10–4
(2–1)
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 14, 1997
at South Florida W 69–64  11–4
(3–1)
Sun Dome 
Tampa, Florida
Jan 19, 1997
at Memphis W 76–70  12–4
(4–1)
The Pyramid 
Memphis, Tennessee
Jan 21, 1997
No. 9 Cincinnati L 67–77  12–5
(4–2)
Dale F. Halton Arena 
Charlotte, North Carolina
C-USA tournament
Mar 6, 1997*
vs. No. 20 Louisville
Quarterfinals
W 64–60  20–7
Scottrade Center 
St. Louis, Missouri
Mar 7, 1997*
vs. UAB
Semifinals
W 67–65  21–7
Scottrade Center 
St. Louis, Missouri
Mar 8, 1997*
vs. Marquette
Championship game
L 52–60  21–8
Scottrade Center 
St. Louis, Missouri
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1997*
 CBS
(7 W) vs. (10 W) Georgetown
Second round
W 79–67  22–8
McKale Center (12,958)
Tucson, Arizona
Mar 16, 1997*
 CBS
(7 W) vs. (2 W) No. 2 Utah
Second round
L 58–77  22–9
McKale Center 
Tucson, Arizona
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.

[5]

Rankings

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[6]

References

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  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1996-97 Conference USA Season Summary
  2. ^ "Page's Cold Shooting Ousts Georgetown Early". The New York Times. March 15, 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Van Horn, defense get Utah into Sweet 16". The Baltimore Sun. March 17, 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "1996-97 Men's Basketball Roster". UNC Charlotte Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Results for 1996-97". UNC Charlotte Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  6. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1053–1054. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.