1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
---|---|
Preseason AP No. 1 | Kentucky |
Regular season | November 1995 – April 1996 |
NCAA Tournament | 1996 |
Tournament dates | March 14 – April 1, 1996 |
National Championship | Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey |
NCAA Champions | Kentucky Wildcats |
Other champions | Nebraska Cornhuskers (NIT) |
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden) | Marcus Camby, Massachusetts |
The 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season concluded in the 64-team 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament whose finals were held at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Kentucky Wildcats earned their sixth national championship by defeating the Syracuse Orangemen 76–67 on April 1, 1996. They were coached by Rick Pitino and the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player was Kentucky's Tony Delk.
In the 32-team 1997 National Invitation Tournament, the Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the St. Joseph's Hawks at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Following the season, the 1996 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American Consensus First team included Ray Allen, Marcus Camby, Tony Delk, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, and Kerry Kittles.
Season headlines[]
- Rick Pitino led the Kentucky Wildcats to its sixth National Championship, his first.
Pre-season polls[]
The top 25 from the pre-season AP Poll.
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Conference membership changes[]
These schools joined new conferences for the 1995–96 season.
School | Former conference | New conference |
---|---|---|
Charlotte | Metro Conference | Conference USA |
Cincinnati | Great Midwest Conference | Conference USA |
Dayton | Great Midwest Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
DePaul | Great Midwest Conference | Conference USA |
Fordham | Patriot League | Atlantic 10 Conference |
Hampton | NCAA Division II | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
Jacksonville State | NCAA Division II | Trans America Athletic Conference |
La Salle | Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
Louisville | Metro Conference | Conference USA |
Marquette | Great Midwest Conference | Conference USA |
Memphis | Great Midwest Conference | Conference USA |
Notre Dame | NCAA Division I Independent | Big East Conference |
Rutgers | Atlantic 10 Conference | Big East Conference |
Saint Louis | Great Midwest Conference | Conference USA |
South Florida | Metro Conference | Conference USA |
Southern Miss | Metro Conference | Conference USA |
Towson | Big South Conference | North Atlantic Conference |
Tulane | Metro Conference | Conference USA |
UAB | Great Midwest Conference | Conference USA |
VCU | Metro Conference | Colonial Athletic Association |
Virginia Tech | Metro Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
West Virginia | Atlantic 10 Conference | Big East Conference |
Wofford | NCAA Division II | NCAA Division I Independent |
Xavier | Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
Regular season[]
Conference winners and tournaments[]
29 conference seasons concluded with a single-elimination tournament, with only the Big Ten Conference, Ivy League and the Pac-10 Conference choosing not to conduct conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners, with the exception of the American West Conference received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Conference | Regular Season Winner[1] |
Conference Player of the Year |
Conference Tournament |
Tournament Venue (City) |
Tournament Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American West Conference | Cal Poly | Ben Larson, Cal Poly[2] | 1996 American West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Matadome (Northridge, California) |
Southern Utah |
Atlantic 10 Conference | UMass (East) George Washington (West) Virginia Tech (West) |
Marcus Camby, UMass | 1996 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament | Philadelphia Civic Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
UMass |
Atlantic Coast Conference | Georgia Tech | Tim Duncan, Wake Forest | 1996 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) |
Wake Forest |
Big East Conference | Connecticut (Big East 6) Georgetown (Big East 7) |
Ray Allen, Connecticut | 1997 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) |
Connecticut |
Big Eight Conference | Kansas | Jacque Vaughn, Kansas | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) |
Iowa State | |
Big Sky Conference | Montana State | , Weber State , Montana State |
1996 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (Bozeman, Montana) |
Montana State |
Big South Conference | UNC Greensboro | T. L. Latson, Charleston Southern | 1996 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Vines Center (Lynchburg, Virginia) |
UNC Greensboro |
Big Ten Conference | Purdue | Brian Evans, Indiana | No Tournament | ||
Big West Conference | Long Beach State | Raimonds Miglinieks, UC Irvine | 1997 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nevada) |
San Jose State |
Colonial Athletic Association | VCU | Bernard Hopkins, VCU | 1996 CAA Men's Basketball Tournament | Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia) |
VCU |
Conference USA | Cincinnati (Blue) Tulane (Red) Memphis (White) |
Danny Fortson, Cincinnati | 1996 Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament | Memphis Pyramid (Memphis, Tennessee) |
Cincinnati |
Ivy League | Princeton | Ira Bowman, Penn | No Tournament | ||
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Fairfield Iona |
, Canisius | Knickerbocker Arena (Albany, New York) |
Canisius | |
Mid-American Conference | Eastern Michigan | Bonzi Wells, Ball State | 1996 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament | SeaGate Convention Centre (Toledo, Ohio) |
Eastern Michigan |
Mid-Continent Conference | Valparaiso | , Valparaiso | 1996 Mid-Continent Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | The MARK of the Quad Cities (Moline, Illinois) |
Valparaiso |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Coppin State | Terquin Mott, Coppin State | Leon County Civic Center (Tallahassee, Florida) |
South Carolina State | |
Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Green Bay | Jeff Nordgaard, Green Bay | Nutter Center (Dayton, Ohio) |
Northern Illinois | |
Missouri Valley Conference | Bradley | Anthony Parker, Bradley | 1996 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Kiel Center (St. Louis, Missouri) |
Tulsa |
North Atlantic Conference | Drexel | Malik Rose, Drexel | 1996 North Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Daskalakis Athletic Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
Drexel |
Northeast Conference | Mount St. Mary's | Chris McGuthrie, Mount St. Mary's | 1996 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | William T. Boylan Gymnasium (West Long Branch, New Jersey) |
Monmouth |
Ohio Valley Conference | Murray State | Marcus Brown, Murray State | Nashville Municipal Auditorium (Nashville, Tennessee) |
Austin Peay | |
Pacific-10 Conference | Arizona | Shareef Abdur-Rahim, California | No Tournament | ||
Patriot League | Colgate Navy |
Adonal Foyle, Colgate | 1996 Patriot League Men's Basketball Tournament | Cotterell Court (Hamilton, New York) |
Colgate |
Southeastern Conference | Kentucky (East) Mississippi State (West) |
Tony Delk, Kentucky | 1996 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament | Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana) |
Mississippi State |
Southern Conference | Davidson (North) Western Carolina (South) |
Anquell McCollum, Western Carolina | 1996 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) |
Western Carolina |
Southland Conference | Louisiana–Monroe | , Louisiana–Monroe | 1996 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum (Shreveport, Louisiana) |
Louisiana–Monroe |
Southwest Conference | Texas Tech | Jason Sasser, Texas Tech | 1996 Southwest Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas) |
Texas Tech |
Southwestern Athletic Conference | Jackson State Mississippi Valley State |
Marcus Mann, Mississippi Valley State | — | Mississippi Valley State | |
Sun Belt Conference | Little Rock New Orleans |
Derek Fisher, Little Rock | Barton Coliseum (Little Rock, Arkansas) |
New Orleans | |
Trans America Athletic Conference | College of Charleston (East) Samford (West) Southeastern Louisiana (West) |
, College of Charleston | 1996 TAAC Men's Basketball Tournament | Edmunds Center (DeLand, Florida) |
UCF |
West Coast Conference | Gonzaga Santa Clara |
Steve Nash, Santa Clara | Toso Pavilion (Santa Clara, California) |
Portland | |
Western Athletic Conference | Utah | Keith Van Horn, Utah | 1996 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament | The Pit (Albuquerque, New Mexico) |
New Mexico |
Statistical leaders[]
Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | APG | Player | School | SPG | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kevin Granger | TX Southern | 27.0 | Marcus Mann | Miss. Valley St. | 13.6 | Raimonds Miglinieks | UC Irvine | 8.5 | Pointer Williams | McNeese St. | 4.4 | |||
Marcus Brown | Murray St. | 26.4 | Malik Rose | Drexel | 13.2 | Curtis McCants | George Mason | 8.3 | Maryland | 3.7 | ||||
Bubba Wells | Austin Peay | 24.4 | Adonal Foyle | Colgate | 12.6 | Campbell | 8.0 | Jackson St. | 3.7 | |||||
Hampton | 25.7 | Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | 12.3 | Pointer Williams | McNeese St. | 7.4 | Long Beach St. | 3.6 | |||||
Bonzi Wells | Ball St. | 25.4 | Mercer | 12.0 | Lazarus Sims | Syracuse | 7.4 | Northeastern Illinois | 3.6 |
Field Goal Percentage |
Three-Point FG Percentage |
Free Throw Percentage
| ||||||||||||
Player | School | BPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | 3FG% | Player | School | FT% | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keith Closs | C. Connecticut St. | 6.4 | Montana State | .675 | Drexel | .477 | Sam Houston St. | .926 | ||||||
Adonal Foyle | Colgate | 5.7 | Nevada | .656 | Peter Lisicky | Penn State | .471 | Stanford | .920 | |||||
Roy Rogers | Alabama | 4.9 | Link Abrams | Centenary | .654 | Ray Allen | Connecticut | .466 | Charlotte | .903 | ||||
Jerome James | Florida A&M | 4.4 | George Washington | .642 | Keith Veney | Marshall | .455 | Rutgers | .900 | |||||
Peter Aluma | Liberty | 3.9 | Terquin Mott | Coppin St. | .638 | Oral Roberts | .451 | Steve Nash | Santa Clara | .894 | ||||
Marist |
Postseason tournaments[]
NCAA Tournament[]
Final Four – RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana[]
National Semifinals | National Championship Game | ||||||||
E1 | Massachusetts | 74 | |||||||
M1 | Kentucky | 81 | |||||||
M1 | Kentucky | 76 | |||||||
W4 | Syracuse | 67 | |||||||
SE5 | Mississippi State | 69 | |||||||
W4 | Syracuse | 77 |
National Invitation Tournament[]
Semifinals & Finals[]
Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
Tulane | 78 | ||||||||
Nebraska | 90 | ||||||||
Nebraska | 60 | ||||||||
St. Joseph's | 56 | ||||||||
Alabama | 69 | ||||||||
St. Joseph's | 74 |
- Third Place – Tulane 87, Alabama 76
Award winners[]
Consensus All-American teams[]
Player | Position | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Ray Allen | G | Junior | Connecticut |
Marcus Camby | C | Junior | Massachusetts |
Tony Delk | G | Senior | Kentucky |
Tim Duncan | C | Junior | Wake Forest |
Allen Iverson | G | Sophomore | Georgetown |
Kerry Kittles | G | Senior | Villanova |
Player | Position | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Danny Fortson | F | Sophomore | Cincinnati |
Keith Van Horn | F | Junior | Utah |
Jacque Vaughn | G | Junior | Kansas |
John Wallace | F | Senior | Syracuse |
Lorenzen Wright | F/C | Sophomore | Memphis |
Major player of the year awards[]
- Wooden Award: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- Naismith Award: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- Associated Press Player of the Year: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- NABC Player of the Year: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- Adolph Rupp Trophy: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- Sporting News Player of the Year: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts
- UPI College Basketball Player of the Year: Ray Allen, Connecticut
Major freshman of the year awards[]
- USBWA Freshman of the Year: No Award Given
Major coach of the year awards[]
- Associated Press Coach of the Year: Gene Keady, Purdue
- Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Gene Keady, Purdue
- NABC Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Massachusetts
- Naismith College Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Massachusetts
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: John Calipari, Massachusetts
Other major awards[]
- NABC Defensive Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Eddie Benton, Vermont
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Kerry Kittles, Villanova
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Adrian Griffin, Seton Hall
Coaching changes[]
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A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
Team | Former Coach |
Interim Coach |
New Coach |
Reason |
---|---|---|---|---|
California | Todd Bozeman | Ben Braun | ||
Cleveland State | Mike Boyd | Rollie Massimino | ||
Colorado | Joe Harrington | Ricardo Patton | ||
Cornell | Al Walker | Scott Thompson | ||
Drake | Kurt Kanaskie | |||
Eastern Michigan | Ben Braun | Milton Barnes | ||
Florida | Lon Kruger | Billy Donovan | ||
Florida A&M | ||||
Idaho | Joe Cravens | Kermit Davis | ||
Illinois | Lou Henson | Lon Kruger | ||
Marshall | Billy Donovan | Greg White | ||
UNC Charlotte | Jeff Mullins | Melvin Watkins | ||
Wichita State | Scott Thompson | Randy Smithson |
References[]
- ^ "2001 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2001. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ Leef, Ralph (April 3, 1996). "Cal Poly team really turned things around". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. p. 22. Retrieved October 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ NCAA Record Book - DIVISION I CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS p.6
- 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season