1997 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament

1997 (1997) NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament

Teams	32
Finals site	Montgomery Fieldhouse Nampa, Idaho
Champions	Bethel Pilots (2nd title, 2nd title game, 2nd Fab Four)
Runner-up	Siena Heights Saints (1st title game, 1st Fab Four)
Semifinalists	Tabor Bluejays (1st Fab Four) William Jewell Cardinals (4th Fab Four)
Charles Stevenson Hustle Award	Anthony Staffney (Siena Heights)
Chuck Taylor MVP	Rico Swanson (Bethel (IN))
Top scorer	Rico Swanson (Bethel (TN)) (100 points)
NAIA Division II men's tournaments «1996 1998»

The 1997 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament was the tournament held by the NAIA to determine the national champion of men's college basketball among its Division II members in the United States and Canada for the 1996–97 basketball season.

Bethel (IN) defeated Siena Heights in the championship game, 95–94, to claim the Pilots' second NAIA national title and first since 1995.

The tournament was played at the Montgomery Fieldhouse at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.

Qualification

See also: 1996–97 NAIA Division II men's basketball season

The tournament field remained fixed at thirty-two teams, and the top sixteen teams were seeded.

The tournament continued to utilize a single-elimination format.

Bracket

	First round					Second round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					National championship
	1	St. Thomas Aquinas	73
		Holy Family	63
						1	St. Thomas Aquinas	55
						16	Tabor	66
		Taylor	51
	16	Tabor	70
											16	Tabor	81
											9	Northwest Nazarene	75
	9	Northwest Nazarene	84
		Virginia Intermont	66
						9	Northwest Nazarene	99
						8	Evangel	81
		Howard Payne	94
	8	Evangel	95
																16	Tabor	80
																5	Siena Heights	89
	5	Siena Heights	87
		South Dakota Tech	79
						5	Siena Heights	83
						12	Embry–Riddle (FL)	79
		Wisconsin Lutheran	60
	12	Embry–Riddle (FL)	66
											5	Siena Heights	94
												College of the Ozarks	84
	13	Peru State	100
		College of the Ozarks	101**
							College of the Ozarks	86
						4	Pacific (OR)	74
		Husson	68
	4	Pacific (OR)	79
																					5	Siena Heights	94
																					2	Bethel (IN)	95
	3	Oregon Tech	77
		Mayville State	69
						3	Oregon Tech	78
						14	William Jewell	88
		Tennessee Wesleyan	68
	14	William Jewell	84
											14	William Jewell	83
											11	Black Hills State	77
	11	Black Hills State	82
		Philadelphia Pharmacy	64
						11	Black Hills State	93
						6	Urbana (OH)	79
		Concordia Nebraska	66
	6	Urbana (OH)	79
																14	William Jewell	73
																2	Bethel (IN)	99
	7	Spring Arbor	71
		St. Thomas (FL)	70
						7	Spring Arbor	82
						10	Lewis & Clark	79
		IU Southeast	73
	10	Lewis & Clark	98
											7	Spring Arbor	83
											2	Bethel (IN)	94
	15	Western Baptist	82
		Saint Ambrose	71
						15	Western Baptist	78
						2	Bethel (IN)	80
		Green Mountain	75
	2	Bethel (IN)	123

See also

• 1997 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 1997 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
• 1997 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
• 1997 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament