1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1995 and concluded with the 64-team 1996 NCAA Division I men's 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.

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
← 1994–95 1996–97 →

In the 32-team 1996 National Invitation Tournament, the Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the Saint 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

• Conference USA began play, with 11 original members. It was formed prior to the season by the merger of the Great Midwest Conference and the Metro Conference.
• Head coach Rick Pitino led the Kentucky Wildcats to their sixth national championship, his first.
• The American West Conference, Big Eight Conference, and Southwest Conference disbanded at the end of the season.

Pre-season polls

The top 25 from the pre-season AP Poll.

Associated Press Ranking Team 1 Kentucky 2 Kansas 3 Villanova 4 UCLA 5 Georgetown 6 Connecticut 7 Massachusetts 8 Iowa 9 Mississippi State 10 Utah 11 Wake Forest 12 Louisville 13 Memphis 14 Missouri 15 Maryland 16 Arkansas 17 Michigan 18 Stanford 19 Virginia 20 North Carolina 21 Cincinnati 22 Virginia Tech 23 Indiana 24 Purdue 25 California

Conference membership changes

These schools joined new conferences for the 1995–96 season.

School	Former conference	New conference
Alabama–Birmingham (UAB) Blazers	Great Midwest Conference	Conference USA
Charlotte 49ers	Metro Conference	Conference USA
Cincinnati Bearcats	Great Midwest Conference	Conference USA
Dayton Flyers	Great Midwest Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
DePaul Blue Demons	Great Midwest Conference	Conference USA
Fordham Rams	Patriot League	Atlantic 10 Conference
Hampton Pirates	NCAA Division II	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Jacksonville State Gamecocks	NCAA Division II	Trans America Athletic Conference
La Salle Explorers	Midwestern Collegiate Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Louisville Cardinals	Metro Conference	Conference USA
Marquette Golden Eagles	Great Midwest Conference	Conference USA
Memphis Tigers	Great Midwest Conference	Conference USA
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	NCAA Division I independent	Big East Conference
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Atlantic 10 Conference	Big East Conference
Saint Louis Billikens	Great Midwest Conference	Conference USA
South Florida Bulls	Metro Conference	Conference USA
Southern Miss Golden Eagles	Metro Conference	Conference USA
Towson Tigers	Big South Conference	North Atlantic Conference
Tulane Green Wave	Metro Conference	Conference USA
Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) Rams	Metro Conference	Colonial Athletic Association
Virginia Tech Virginia Tech	Metro Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
West Virginia Mountaineers	Atlantic 10 Conference	Big East Conference
Wofford Terriers	NCAA Division II	NCAA Division I independent
Xavier Musketeers	Midwestern Collegiate Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Twenty-nine conferences concluded their seasons with a single-elimination tournament, with only the Big Ten Conference, Ivy League and Pac-10 Conference choosing not to conduct conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners, with the exception of those of the American West Conference and Conference USA, received an automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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	1996 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament	Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri)	Iowa State
Big Sky Conference	Montana State	Jimmy DeGraffenried, Weber State Quadre Lollis, 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	Darrell Barley, Canisius	1996 MAAC men's basketball tournament	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	Anthony Allison, 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	1997 MEAC men's basketball tournament	Leon County Civic Center (Tallahassee, Florida)	South Carolina State
Midwestern Collegiate Conference	Green Bay	Jeff Nordgaard, Green Bay	1996 MCC men's basketball tournament	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	1996 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	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	Paul Marshall, 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	1997 SWAC men's basketball tournament	—	Mississippi Valley State
Sun Belt Conference	Little Rock New Orleans	Derek Fisher, Little Rock	1996 Sun Belt men's basketball tournament	Barton Coliseum (Little Rock, Arkansas)	New Orleans
Trans America Athletic Conference	College of Charleston (East) Samford (West) Southeastern Louisiana (West)	Thaddeus Delaney, College of Charleston	1996 TAAC men's basketball tournament	Edmunds Center (DeLand, Florida)	UCF
West Coast Conference	Gonzaga Santa Clara	Steve Nash, Santa Clara	1996 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament	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

Conference standings

1995–96 American West Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Cal Poly 5 – 1   .833 16 – 13   .552 Southern Utah† 3 – 3   .500 15 – 13   .536 Cal State Northridge 2 – 4   .333 7 – 20   .259 Sacramento State 2 – 4   .333 7 – 20   .259 † 1996 American West tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[3]	1995–96 ACC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 13 Georgia Tech 13 – 3   .813 24 – 12   .667 No. 9 Wake Forest † 12 – 4   .750 26 – 6   .813 No. 25 North Carolina 10 – 6   .625 21 – 11   .656 Duke 8 – 8   .500 18 – 13   .581 Maryland 8 – 8   .500 17 – 13   .567 Clemson 7 – 9   .438 18 – 11   .621 Virginia 6 – 10   .375 12 – 15   .444 Florida State 5 – 11   .313 13 – 14   .481 NC State 3 – 13   .188 15 – 16   .484 † 1996 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[4]	1995–96 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT East No. 1 UMass † 15 – 1   .938 35 – 2   .946 Temple 12 – 4   .750 20 – 13   .606 Saint Joseph's 9 – 7   .563 19 – 13   .594 Rhode Island 8 – 8   .500 20 – 14   .588 St. Bonaventure 4 – 12   .250 10 – 18   .357 Fordham 2 – 14   .125 4 – 23   .148 West No. 22 Virginia Tech 13 – 3   .813 23 – 6   .793 George Washington 13 – 3   .813 21 – 8   .724 Xavier 8 – 8   .500 13 – 15   .464 Dayton 6 – 10   .375 15 – 14   .517 Duquesne 3 – 13   .188 9 – 18   .333 La Salle 3 – 13   .188 6 – 24   .200 † 1996 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1995–96 Big East men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Big East 6 No. 3 Connecticut† 17 – 1   .944 32 – 3   .914 No. 10 Villanova 14 – 4   .778 26 – 7   .788 Boston College 10 – 8   .556 19 – 11   .633 West Virginia 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444 St. John's 5 – 13   .278 11 – 16   .407 Notre Dame 4 – 14   .222 9 – 18   .333 Big East 7 No. 4 Georgetown 13 – 5   .722 29 – 8   .784 No. 15 Syracuse 12 – 6   .667 29 – 9   .763 Providence 9 – 9   .500 18 – 12   .600 Miami 8 – 10   .444 15 – 13   .536 Seton Hall 7 – 11   .389 12 – 16   .429 Rutgers 6 – 12   .333 9 – 18   .333 Pittsburgh 5 – 13   .278 10 – 17   .370 † 1996 Big East tournament winner As of April 1, 1996[5][6][7] Rankings from AP Poll	1995–96 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 4 Kansas 12 – 2   .857 29 – 5   .853 No. 17 Iowa State † 9 – 5   .643 24 – 9   .727 Oklahoma[a] 8 – 6   .571 18 – 12   .600 Kansas State 7 – 7   .500 17 – 12   .586 Oklahoma State 7 – 7   .500 17 – 10   .630 Missouri 6 – 8   .429 18 – 15   .545 Nebraska 4 – 10   .286 21 – 14   .600 Colorado 3 – 11   .214 9 – 18   .333 † 1996 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[8] Adjusted from 17–13 as Purdue forfeited 18 wins	1995–96 Big Sky men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Montana State † 11 – 3   .786 21 – 9   .700 Weber State 10 – 4   .714 20 – 10   .667 Montana 10 – 4   .714 20 – 8   .714 Boise State 10 – 4   .714 15 – 13   .536 Idaho State 7 – 7   .500 11 – 15   .423 Idaho 5 – 9   .357 12 – 16   .429 Northern Arizona 3 – 11   .214 6 – 20   .231 Eastern Washington 0 – 14   .000 3 – 23   .115 † 1996 Big Sky tournament winner
1995–96 Big South Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT UNC Greensboro † 11 – 3   .786 20 – 10   .667 Liberty 9 – 5   .643 17 – 12   .586 UNC Asheville 9 – 5   .643 18 – 10   .643 Charleston Southern 9 – 5   .643 15 – 13   .536 Radford 8 – 6   .571 14 – 13   .519 Winthrop 6 – 8   .429 7 – 19   .269 UMBC 3 – 11   .214 5 – 22   .185 Coastal Carolina 1 – 13   .071 5 – 21   .192 † 1996 Big South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1995–96 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Indiana[a] 13 – 5   .722 20 – 11   .645 No. 18 Penn State 12 – 6   .667 21 – 7   .750 No. 21 Iowa[b] 12 – 6   .667 24 – 8   .750 Minnesota[c] 11 – 7   .611 20 – 10   .667 Wisconsin[d] 9 – 9   .500 18 – 14   .563 Michigan State 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500 Illinois 7 – 11   .389 18 – 13   .581 No. 4 Purdue[e] 6 – 12   .333 7 – 23   .233 Ohio State[f] 5 – 13   .278 12 – 15   .444 Northwestern[g] 4 – 14   .222 9 – 18   .333 Michigan[h] 1 – 8   .111 1 – 10   .091 Rankings from AP Poll Records above are after NCAA sanctions against Minnesota, Purdue, and Michigan as noted:[9] Indiana adjusted from 12–6, 19–12 Iowa adjusted from 11–7, 23–9 Minnesota adjusted from 10–8, 19–13 (vacated 2 games) Wisconsin adjusted from 8–10, 17–15 Purdue adjusted from 15–3, 26–6 (forfeit 18 wins, vacated 2 games) Ohio State adjusted from 3–15, 10–17 Northwestern adjusted from 2–16, 7–20 Michigan adjusted from 10–8/21–11 (vacated 21 games)	1995–96 Big West men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Long Beach State 12 – 6   .667 17 – 11   .607 Pacific 11 – 7   .611 15 – 12   .556 UC Irvine 11 – 7   .611 15 – 12   .556 Utah State 10 – 8   .556 18 – 15   .545 Nevada 9 – 9   .500 16 – 13   .552 San Jose State† 9 – 9   .500 13 – 17   .433 New Mexico State 8 – 10   .444 11 – 15   .423 UC Santa Barbara 8 – 10   .444 11 – 15   .423 UNLV 7 – 11   .389 10 – 16   .385 Cal State Fullerton 5 – 13   .278 6 – 20   .231 † 1996 Big West tournament winner Rankings from AP poll
1995–96 CAA men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT VCU† 14 – 2   .875 24 – 9   .727 Old Dominion 12 – 4   .750 18 – 13   .581 UNC Wilmington 9 – 7   .563 13 – 16   .448 American 8 – 8   .500 12 – 15   .444 East Carolina 8 – 8   .500 17 – 11   .607 William & Mary 6 – 10   .375 10 – 16   .385 James Madison 6 – 10   .375 10 – 20   .333 George Mason 6 – 10   .375 11 – 16   .407 Richmond 3 – 13   .188 8 – 20   .286 † 1996 CAA tournament winner Rankings from AP poll	1995–96 Conference USA men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Blue No. 7 Cincinnati † 11 – 3   .786 28 – 5   .848 No. 20 Marquette 10 – 4   .714 23 – 8   .742 Saint Louis 4 – 10   .286 16 – 14   .533 DePaul 2 – 12   .143 11 – 18   .379 Red Tulane 9 – 5   .643 22 – 10   .688 UAB 6 – 8   .429 16 – 14   .533 Southern Miss 6 – 8   .429 12 – 15   .444 South Florida 2 – 12   .143 12 – 16   .429 White No. 16 Memphis 11 – 3   .786 22 – 8   .733 No. 24 Louisville 10 – 4   .714 22 – 12   .647 UNC Charlotte 6 – 8   .429 14 – 15   .483 † 1996 Conference USA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[10]	1995–96 Ivy League men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Princeton 12 – 2   .857 22 – 7   .759 Penn 12 – 2   .857 17 – 10   .630 Dartmouth 9 – 5   .643 16 – 10   .615 Harvard 7 – 7   .500 15 – 11   .577 Brown 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385 Cornell 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385 Yale 3 – 11   .214 8 – 18   .308 Columbia 3 – 11   .214 7 – 19   .269 Rankings from AP Poll[11]
1995–96 MAAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Iona 10 – 4   .714 21 – 8   .724 Fairfield 10 – 4   .714 20 – 10   .667 Manhattan 9 – 5   .643 17 – 12   .586 Loyola (MD) 8 – 6   .571 12 – 15   .444 Canisius † 7 – 7   .500 19 – 11   .633 Niagara 6 – 8   .429 13 – 15   .464 Saint Peter's 5 – 9   .357 15 – 12   .556 Siena 1 – 13   .071 5 – 22   .185 † 1996 MAAC tournament winner	1995–96 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Eastern Michigan † 14 – 4   .778 25 – 6   .806 Western Michigan 13 – 5   .722 15 – 12   .556 Miami 12 – 6   .667 21 – 8   .724 Ohio 11 – 7   .611 16 – 14   .533 Ball State 11 – 7   .611 16 – 12   .571 Bowling Green 9 – 9   .500 14 – 13   .519 Toledo 9 – 9   .500 18 – 14   .563 Kent State 8 – 10   .444 14 – 13   .519 Central Michigan 3 – 15   .167 6 – 20   .231 Akron 0 – 18   .000 3 – 23   .115 † 1996 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1995–96 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Valparaiso † 13 – 5   .722 21 – 11   .656 Western Illinois 12 – 6   .667 17 – 12   .586 Missouri–Kansas City 10 – 8   .556 12 – 15   .444 Buffalo 10 – 8   .556 13 – 14   .481 Northeastern Illinois 10 – 8   .556 14 – 13   .519 Eastern Illinois 9 – 9   .500 13 – 15   .464 Central Connecticut State 9 – 9   .500 13 – 15   .464 Troy State 8 – 10   .444 11 – 16   .407 Youngstown State 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444 Chicago State 2 – 16   .111 2 – 25   .074 † 1996 Mid-Con Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[12]
1995–96 MEAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT South Carolina State † 14 – 2   .875 22 – 8   .733 Coppin State 14 – 2   .875 19 – 10   .655 Bethune–Cookman 8 – 8   .500 12 – 15   .444 Delaware State 8 – 8   .500 11 – 17   .393 North Carolina A&T 7 – 9   .438 10 – 17   .370 Maryland Eastern Shore 6 – 10   .375 11 – 16   .407 Howard 6 – 10   .375 7 – 20   .259 Morgan State 6 – 10   .375 7 – 20   .259 Florida A&M 3 – 13   .188 8 – 19   .296 Hampton 0 – 0   – 9 – 17   .346 † 1996 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[13]	1995–96 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Green Bay 16 – 0   1.000 25 – 4   .862 Butler 12 – 4   .750 19 – 8   .704 Northern Illinois † 12 – 4   .750 19 – 8   .704 Wright State 8 – 8   .500 14 – 13   .519 Detroit 8 – 8   .500 18 – 11   .621 Milwaukee 5 – 11   .313 9 – 18   .333 UIC 5 – 11   .313 10 – 18   .357 Loyola (IL) 5 – 11   .313 8 – 19   .296 Cleveland State 3 – 13   .188 5 – 21   .192 † 1996 MCC tournament winner As of March 5, 1996 Rankings from AP poll	1995–96 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Bradley 15 – 3   .833 22 – 8   .733 Illinois State 13 – 5   .722 22 – 12   .647 Tulsa † 12 – 6   .667 22 – 8   .733 Southwest Missouri State 11 – 7   .611 16 – 12   .571 Creighton 9 – 9   .500 14 – 15   .483 Evansville 9 – 9   .500 13 – 14   .481 Northern Iowa 8 – 10   .444 14 – 13   .519 Drake 8 – 10   .444 12 – 15   .444 Indiana State 6 – 12   .333 10 – 16   .385 Wichita State 4 – 14   .222 8 – 21   .276 Southern Illinois 4 – 14   .222 11 – 18   .379 † 1996 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[14]
1995–96 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Drexel † 17 – 1   .944 27 – 4   .871 Boston University 13 – 5   .722 18 – 11   .621 Maine 11 – 7   .611 15 – 13   .536 Delaware 11 – 7   .611 15 – 12   .556 Towson State 11 – 7   .611 16 – 12   .571 Vermont 10 – 8   .556 12 – 15   .444 Hofstra 5 – 13   .278 9 – 18   .333 New Hampshire 5 – 13   .278 6 – 21   .222 Hartford 5 – 13   .278 6 – 22   .214 Northeastern 2 – 16   .111 4 – 24   .143 † 1996 NAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll	1995–96 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Mount St. Mary's 16 – 2   .889 21 – 8   .724 Marist 14 – 4   .778 22 – 7   .759 Monmouth † 14 – 4   .778 20 – 10   .667 Rider 12 – 6   .667 19 – 11   .633 Saint Francis (PA) 11 – 7   .611 13 – 14   .481 Wagner 7 – 11   .389 10 – 17   .370 Fairleigh Dickinson 6 – 12   .333 7 – 20   .259 Long Island 5 – 13   .278 9 – 19   .321 St. Francis Brooklyn 3 – 15   .167 9 – 18   .333 Robert Morris 2 – 16   .111 5 – 23   .179 † 1996 NEC tournament winner	1995–96 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Murray State 12 – 4   .750 19 – 10   .655 Tennessee State 11 – 5   .688 15 – 13   .536 Austin Peay † 10 – 6   .625 19 – 11   .633 Middle Tennessee 9 – 7   .563 15 – 12   .556 UT Martin 9 – 7   .563 13 – 14   .481 Tennessee Tech 7 – 9   .438 13 – 15   .464 Eastern Kentucky 7 – 9   .438 13 – 14   .481 Southeast Missouri State 5 – 11   .313 8 – 19   .296 Morehead State 2 – 14   .125 7 – 20   .259 † 1996 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[15]
1995–96 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 14 UCLA 16 – 2   .889 23 – 8   .742 No. 11 Arizona 14 – 4   .778 27 – 6   .818 Stanford 12 – 6   .667 21 – 8   .724 Washington State 9 – 9   .500 18 – 11   .621 Washington 9 – 9   .500 16 – 12   .571 Oregon 9 – 9   .500 16 – 13   .552 USC 6 – 12   .333 13 – 17   .433 Arizona State 6 – 12   .333 11 – 16   .407 Oregon State 4 – 14   .222 6 – 21   .222 California1 2 – 16   .111 2 – 26   .071 As of November 23, 2011 Rankings from AP Poll 1California forfeited games due to infractions.	1995–96 Patriot League men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Colgate † 9 – 3   .750 15 – 15   .500 Navy 9 – 3   .750 15 – 12   .556 Holy Cross 8 – 4   .667 16 – 13   .552 Bucknell 8 – 4   .667 17 – 11   .607 Lafayette 4 – 8   .333 7 – 20   .259 Lehigh 2 – 10   .167 4 – 23   .148 Army 2 – 10   .167 7 – 20   .259 † 1996 Patriot League tournament winner	1995–96 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT East No. 2 Kentucky 16 – 0   1.000 34 – 2   .944 Georgia 9 – 7   .563 21 – 10   .677 South Carolina 8 – 8   .500 19 – 12   .613 Vanderbilt 7 – 9   .438 18 – 14   .563 Florida 6 – 10   .375 12 – 16   .429 Tennessee 6 – 10   .375 14 – 15   .483 West No. 19 Mississippi State † 10 – 6   .625 26 – 8   .765 Arkansas 9 – 7   .563 20 – 13   .606 Alabama 9 – 7   .563 19 – 13   .594 Ole Miss 6 – 10   .375 12 – 15   .444 Auburn 6 – 10   .375 19 – 13   .594 LSU 4 – 12   .250 12 – 17   .414 † 1996 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[16]
1995–96 Southern Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT North Davidson 14 – 0   1.000 25 – 5   .833 VMI 10 – 4   .714 18 – 10   .643 Marshall 8 – 6   .571 17 – 11   .607 East Tennessee State 3 – 11   .214 7 – 20   .259 Appalachian State 3 – 11   .214 8 – 21   .276 South Western Carolina † 10 – 4   .714 17 – 13   .567 Chattanooga 9 – 5   .643 15 – 12   .556 Furman 6 – 8   .429 10 – 17   .370 The Citadel 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385 Georgia Southern 2 – 12   .143 3 – 23   .115 † SoCon Tournament winner As of April 30, 1996 Rankings from AP poll	1995–96 Southland Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Northeast Louisiana † 13 – 5   .722 16 – 14   .533 North Texas 12 – 6   .667 15 – 13   .536 UTSA 12 – 6   .667 14 – 14   .500 Stephen F. Austin 11 – 7   .611 17 – 11   .607 McNeese State 11 – 7   .611 15 – 12   .556 Sam Houston State 9 – 9   .500 11 – 16   .407 Southwest Texas State 7 – 11   .389 11 – 15   .423 Texas–Arlington 7 – 11   .389 11 – 15   .423 Nicholls State 5 – 13   .278 5 – 21   .192 Northwestern State 3 – 15   .167 5 – 21   .192 † 1996 Southland tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[17]	1995–96 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 8 Texas Tech † 14 – 0   1.000 30 – 2   .938 Houston 11 – 3   .786 17 – 10   .630 Texas 10 – 4   .714 21 – 10   .677 TCU 6 – 8   .429 15 – 15   .500 Rice 5 – 9   .357 14 – 14   .500 Texas A&M 3 – 11   .214 11 – 16   .407 SMU 3 – 11   .214 8 – 20   .286 Baylor 4 – 10   .286 9 – 18   .333 † 1996 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1995–96 SWAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Mississippi Valley State † 11 – 3   .786 22 – 7   .759 Jackson State 11 – 3   .786 16 – 13   .552 Southern 9 – 5   .643 17 – 11   .607 Texas Southern 7 – 7   .500 11 – 15   .423 Alcorn State 7 – 7   .500 10 – 15   .400 Grambling 6 – 8   .429 12 – 16   .429 Alabama State 5 – 9   .357 9 – 18   .333 Prairie View A&M 0 – 14   .000 4 – 23   .148 † 1996 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1995–96 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT New Orleans † 14 – 4   .778 21 – 9   .700 Arkansas–Little Rock 14 – 4   .778 23 – 7   .767 Jacksonville 10 – 8   .556 15 – 13   .536 Western Kentucky 10 – 8   .556 13 – 14   .481 Southwestern Louisiana 9 – 9   .500 16 – 12   .571 Lamar 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444 South Alabama 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444 Arkansas State 7 – 11   .389 9 – 18   .333 Louisiana Tech 6 – 12   .333 11 – 17   .393 Texas–Pan American 6 – 12   .333 9 – 19   .321 † 1996 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1995–96 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT East College of Charleston 15 – 1   .938 25 – 4   .862 Campbell 11 – 5   .688 17 – 11   .607 Florida International 6 – 10   .375 13 – 15   .464 Stetson 6 – 10   .375 10 – 17   .370 Central Florida † 6 – 10   .375 11 – 19   .367 Florida Atlantic 5 – 11   .313 9 – 18   .333 West Samford 11 – 5   .688 16 – 11   .593 Southeastern Louisiana 11 – 5   .688 15 – 12   .556 Centenary 8 – 8   .500 11 – 16   .407 Mercer 7 – 9   .438 15 – 14   .517 Georgia State 6 – 10   .375 10 – 16   .385 Jacksonville State 4 – 12   .250 10 – 17   .370 † 1996 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[18]
1995–96 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Santa Clara 10 – 4   .714 20 – 9   .690 Gonzaga 10 – 4   .714 21 – 9   .700 Loyola Marymount 8 – 6   .571 18 – 11   .621 San Francisco 8 – 6   .571 15 – 12   .556 Portland † 7 – 7   .500 19 – 11   .633 San Diego 6 – 8   .429 14 – 14   .500 Saint Mary's 5 – 9   .357 12 – 15   .444 Pepperdine 2 – 12   .143 10 – 18   .357 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[19]	1995–96 WAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 12 Utah 15 – 3   .833 27 – 7   .794 No. 23 New Mexico † 14 – 4   .778 28 – 5   .848 Fresno State 13 – 5   .722 22 – 11   .667 Colorado State 11 – 7   .611 18 – 12   .600 BYU 9 – 9   .500 15 – 13   .536 Wyoming 8 – 10   .444 14 – 15   .483 San Diego State 8 – 10   .444 15 – 14   .517 Hawaii 7 – 11   .389 10 – 18   .357 UTEP 4 – 14   .222 13 – 15   .464 Air Force 1 – 17   .056 5 – 23   .179 † 1996 WAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[20]

Division I independents

Two schools played as Division I independents. They had no postseason play.^[21]

1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Oral Roberts - – -   – 18 – 9   .667 Wofford - – -   – 4 – 22   .154 Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	Temple	Kerry Kittles, Villanova

For the fifth consecutive season, the Philadelphia Big 5 did not play a full round-robin schedule in which each team met each other team once, a format it had used from its first season of competition in 1955–56 through the 1990–91 season. Instead, each team played only two games against other Big 5 members, and Temple finished with a 2–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Big 5. The Big 5 did not revive its full round-robin schedule until the 1999–2000 season.

Statistical leaders

Source for additional stats categories

Points per game				Rebounds per game				Assists per game				Steals per game
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		Johnny Rhodes	Maryland	3.7
Bubba Wells	Austin Peay	24.4		Adonal Foyle	Colgate	12.6		Dan Pogue	Campbell	8.0		Roderick Taylor	Jackson St.	3.7
Jafonde Williams	Hampton	25.7		Tim Duncan	Wake Forest	12.3		Pointer Williams	McNeese St.	7.4		Rasul Salahuddin	Long Beach St.	3.6
Bonzi Wells	Ball St.	25.4		Scott Farley	Mercer	12.0		Lazarus Sims	Syracuse	7.4		Andrell Hoard	Northeastern Illinois	3.6

Blocked shots per game				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		Quadre Lollis	Montana State	.675		Mike Derockkis	Drexel	.477		Mike Dillard	Sam Houston St.	.926
Adonal Foyle	Colgate	5.7		Daniel Watts	Nevada	.656		Peter Lisicky	Penn State	.471		Dion Cross	Stanford	.920
Roy Rogers	Alabama	4.9		Link Abrams	Centenary	.654		Ray Allen	Connecticut	.466		Roderick Howard	Charlotte	.903
Jerome James	Florida A&M	4.4		Alexander Koul	George Washington	.642		Keith Veney	Marshall	.455		Geoff Billet	Rutgers	.900
Peter Aluma	Liberty	3.9		Terquin Mott	Coppin St.	.638		Tim Gill	Oral Roberts	.451		Steve Nash	Santa Clara	.894
Alan Tomidy	Marist

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main article: 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Final Four – Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey

	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

Main article: 1996 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

	Semifinals				Finals
	Tulane	78
	Nebraska	90
					Nebraska	60
					Saint Joseph's	56
	Alabama	69
	Saint Joseph's	74			Third place
					Tulane	87
					Alabama	76

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1996 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

^[22]

Consensus First Team

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

Consensus Second Team

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

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	Rudy Washington		Kurt Kanaskie
Eastern Michigan	Ben Braun		Milton Barnes
Florida	Lon Kruger		Billy Donovan
Florida A&M	Ron Brown		Mickey Clayton
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

1. "2001 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2001. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
2. 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.
3. "1995-96 American West Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
4. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary
5. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Big East Conference Season Summary
6. Keefe, Gavin, "Big East Notes: The Big East 7 and Big East 6? Big Deal!", The Day, January 1, 1996, p. 7.
7. "PLUS: COLLEGE BASKETBALL -- BIG EAST CONFERENCE; League Cuts Games In Search of Bids," The New York Times, August 7, 1998.
8. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
9. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 56. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
10. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Conference USA Season Summary
11. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Ivy Group Season Summary
12. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Mid-Continent Conference Season Summary
13. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Season Summary
14. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary
15. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Ohio Valley Conference Season Summary
16. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
17. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Southland Conference Season Summary
18. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Trans America Athletic Conference Season Summary
19. sports-reference.com 1995-96 West Coast Conference Season Summary
20. sports-reference.com 1995-96 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
21. "1995-96 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
22. NCAA Record Book - DIVISION I CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS p.6