1996–97 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team

The 1996–97 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team represented the University of Tulsa as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1996–97 college basketball season. The Golden Hurricane played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center. Led by head coach Steve Robinson, they finished the season 24–10 overall and 12–4 in conference play to finish second in the WAC Mountain division standings. After losing in the championship game of the WAC tournament, the team defeated Boston University in the opening round[2] of the NCAA tournament, before falling to No. 4 seed Clemson in the round of 32.[3]

1996–97 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionMountain
Record24–10 (12–4 WAC)
Head coach
Home arenaTulsa Convention Center
1996–97 WAC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Mountain
No. 2 Utah151 .938294  .879
Tulsa124 .7502410  .706
No. 11 New Mexico115 .688258  .758
TCU79 .4382213  .629
SMU79 .4381612  .571
Rice610 .3751215  .444
UTEP610 .3751313  .500
BYU016 .000125  .038
Pacific
Fresno State124 .7502012  .625
Hawaii124 .750218  .724
UNLV115 .6882210  .688
Colorado State106 .625209  .690
Wyoming88 .5001216  .429
San Jose State511 .3131314  .481
San Diego State412 .2501215  .444
Air Force214 .125719  .269
1997 WAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[1]

Roster

1996–97 Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
G 21 Shea Seals 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) Sr Tulsa, Oklahoma
F/C 51 Michael Ruffin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) So Denver, Colorado
Head coach

Steve Robinson

Assistant coach(es)

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

    [4]

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    Nov 20, 1996*
    at No. 5 UCLA
    Preseason NIT
    W 77–76 OT 1–0
    Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, California
    Nov 22, 1996*
    Oklahoma State
    Preseason NIT
    W 72–54  2–0
    Tulsa Convention Center 
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Nov 27, 1996*
    No. 22 vs. No. 6 Duke
    Preseason NIT
    L 67–72  2–1
    Madison Square Garden 
    New York, New York
    Nov 29, 1996*
    No. 22 vs. Evansville
    Preseason NIT
    W 55–51  3–1
    Madison Square Garden 
    New York, New York
    Dec 2, 1996*
    No. 21 Delaware State W 79–50  4–1
    Tulsa Convention Center 
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Dec 4, 1996*
    No. 21 at Houston L 77–79 2OT 4–2
    Hofheinz Pavilion 
    Houston, Texas
    Dec 7, 1996*
    vs. Saint Joseph's L 64–67  4–3
    Boardwalk Hall 
    Atlantic City, New Jersey
    Dec 14, 1996*
    Temple W 67–60  5–3
    Tulsa Convention Center 
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Dec 19, 1996*
    at Wichita State W 56–53  6–3
    Levitt Arena 
    Wichita, Kansas
    Dec 27, 1996*
    vs. Southwest Texas State W 76–60[5]  7–3
    Myriad Convention Center 
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    Dec 28, 1996*
    vs. Oklahoma W 78–75  8–3
    Myriad Convention Center 
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    WAC Tournament
    Mar 6, 1997*
    at UNLV
    Quarterfinals
    W 68–65  23–8
    Thomas & Mack Center 
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Mar 7, 1997*
    vs. TCU
    Semifinals
    L 59–64  23–9
    Thomas & Mack Center 
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 14, 1997*
    (5 MW) vs. (12 MW) Boston University
    First round
    W 81–52  24–9
    Kemper Arena 
    Kansas City, Missouri
    Mar 16, 1997*
    (5 MW) vs. (4 MW) No. 14 Clemson
    Second round
    L 59–65  24–10
    Kemper Arena 
    Kansas City, Missouri
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    MW=Midwest.
    All times are in Central.

    [6]

    Rankings

    [7]

    Awards and honors

    References

    1. sports-reference.com 1996-97 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
    2. "Call TU the Boston Strangler". Tulsa World. March 15, 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
    3. "Minnesota Cruises Past Temple; Clemson Ousts Tulsa". The New York Times. March 17, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
    4. "1996-97 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
    5. "Sealed and Delivered: Guard Scores 24 as Tulsa Outmuscles Southwest Texas". The Oklahoman. December 28, 1996. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
    6. "1996-97 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
      • ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1053–1054. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.
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