1996–97 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

The 1996–97 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Lobos were coached by head coach Dave Bliss and played their home games at the University Arena, also known as "The Pit", in Albuquerque, New Mexico. New Mexico finished 3rd in the WAC Mountain division regular season standings and lost to Utah in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. The Lobos received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 3 seed in the East region. After defeating Old Dominion in the opening round, New Mexico was bounced in the round of 32 by Louisville, 64–63, to finish with a 25–8 record (11–5 WAC).

1996–97 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionMountain
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 11
Record25–8 (11–5 WAC)
Head coach
Home arenaUniversity Arena
1996–97 WAC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Mountain
No. 2 Utah †15–1 .93829–4  .879
Tulsa12–4 .75024–10  .706
No. 11 New Mexico11–5 .68825–8  .758
TCU7–9 .43822–13  .629
SMU7–9 .43816–12  .571
Rice6–10 .37512–15  .444
UTEP6–10 .37513–13  .500
BYU0–16 .0001–25  .038
Pacific
Fresno State12–4 .75020–12  .625
Hawaii12–4 .75021–8  .724
UNLV11–5 .68822–10  .688
Colorado State10–6 .62520–9  .690
Wyoming8–8 .50012–16  .429
San Jose State5–11 .31313–14  .481
San Diego State4–12 .25012–15  .444
Air Force2–14 .1257–19  .269
† 1997 WAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The top four scorers (career) in school history played on this team – Charles Smith, Kenny Thomas, Lamont Long, and Clayton Shields.

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