The 1997 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament was played from March 5 to March 8, 1997. The tournament was played at the CoreStates Spectrum in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The winner was named champion of the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

and received an automatic bid to the

1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the champio ...

. Saint Joseph's defeated

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

in the final to win the tournament. Massachusetts' second round loss to

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

was their first loss in the conference tournament since 1991. Massachusetts, Rhode Island,

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, and Xavier also received bids to the NCAA Tournament. Rashid Bey of Saint Joseph's was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Future

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player

Tyson Wheeler Tyson Aaron Wheeler (born October 8, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player and a current assistant coach at Brown University. A , point guard, he played four years at the University of Rhode Island Rams men's basketball tea ...

of Rhode Island was among those also named to the All-Championship Team. The top two teams in each division received a first-round bye.

Bracket

All games played at The Spectrum,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

References

{{1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament navbox Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament

Tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament The Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in men's basketball for the Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference ...

Basketball competitions in Philadelphia 1997 in Philadelphia College basketball tournaments in Pennsylvania