1996-97 Louisville Cardinals basketball — schedule and results

The 1996-97 Louisville Cardinals went 26-9 (9-5 in the CUSA) under head coach Denny Crum. The team peaked at #6 in the AP poll. Simple Rating System: 11.98.

Hoopsipedia's log holds 35 games from this season: 11–3 at home, 6–4 on the road, and 9–2 on neutral courts. The Cardinals scored 75.2 points per game and allowed 70.9 (+4.3 per game). Their longest winning streak ran 10 games, from Nov 29, 1996 to Dec 29, 1996. The most lopsided win was 102–54 over Tennessee State Tigers on Dec 23, 1996; the heaviest defeat was 67–44 at Temple Owls on Feb 2, 1997. The tightest finish was a 1-point win against Charlotte 49ers (72–71). 6 games went to overtime.

Among Louisville Cardinals' 107 recorded seasons, 1996-97's .743 winning percentage ranks 35th. Previous season: 1995-96 Cardinals (22–12). Next season: 1997-98 Cardinals (12–20).

Game-by-game results (35 games)

Date	Opponent	Result	Arena
1996-11-29	neutral Montana State Bobcats	W 92–78	Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
1996-11-30	neutral Illinois Fighting Illini	W 70–60	Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
1996-12-01	neutral Colorado Buffaloes	W 92–82	Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
1996-12-07	neutral LSU Tigers	W 93–87 (OTOT)	Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
1996-12-11	vs Dayton Flyers	W 80–67	Freedom Hall
1996-12-14	neutral Purdue Boilermakers	W 88–72	Market Square Arena
1996-12-16	vs Wright State Raiders	W 65–57	Freedom Hall
1996-12-21	at Arkansas Razorbacks	W 91–88 (OTOT)	Bud Walton Arena
1996-12-23	vs Tennessee State Tigers	W 102–54	Freedom Hall
1996-12-29	vs Boston College Eagles	W 89–85 (2OTOT)	Freedom Hall
1996-12-31	vs Kentucky Wildcats	L 54–74	Freedom Hall
1997-01-03	at UAB Blazers	W 93–79	Bartow Arena
1997-01-06	at Charlotte 49ers	W 92–81	Dale F. Halton Arena
1997-01-11	vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	W 60–56	Freedom Hall
1997-01-15	vs Houston Cougars	W 92–78	Freedom Hall
1997-01-19	at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders	W 85–78 (OTOT)	Frank Erwin Center
1997-01-23	vs Memphis Tigers	L 58–64	Freedom Hall
1997-01-25	vs UCLA Bruins	W 74–71	Freedom Hall
1997-01-28	vs DePaul Blue Demons	W 71–54	Freedom Hall
1997-01-30	vs Cincinnati Bearcats	W 81–70	Freedom Hall
1997-02-02	at Temple Owls	L 44–67	McGonigle Hall
1997-02-06	vs Saint Louis Billikens	L 62–64	Freedom Hall
1997-02-09	at Memphis Tigers	L 59–79	The Pyramid
1997-02-15	at Houston Cougars	W 70–66	Hofheinz Pavilion
1997-02-17	vs South Florida Bulls	W 75–64	Freedom Hall
1997-02-20	at Marquette Golden Eagles	L 71–79 (OTOT)	Bradley Center
1997-02-22	at Southern Miss Golden Eagles	W 75–72 (OTOT)	Reed Green Coliseum
1997-02-26	vs Charlotte 49ers	W 72–71	Freedom Hall
1997-03-01	at Tulane Green Wave	L 71–83	Avron B. Fogelman Arena
1997-03-05	neutral South Florida Bulls	W 69–58	Kiel Center
1997-03-06	neutral Charlotte 49ers	L 60–64	Kiel Center
1997-03-14	neutral Massachusetts Minutemen	W 65–57	Civic Arena
1997-03-16	neutral New Mexico Lobos	W 64–63	Civic Arena
1997-03-21	neutral Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders	W 78–63	Carrier Dome
1997-03-23	neutral North Carolina Tar Heels	L 74–97	Carrier Dome

Game recaps

1996-11-29: Louisville Cardinals beat Montana State 92–78 as Flynn scored a team-high 19. Holmstadt had 32 for Montana State.

1996-11-30: Behind Wheat's 19 points, Louisville Cardinals pulled away from Illinois Fighting Illini 70–60. Gandy had 15 for Illinois Fighting Illini.

1996-12-01: Louisville Cardinals beat Colorado Buffaloes 92–82 as Wheat scored a team-high 21. Billups had 20 for Colorado Buffaloes.

1996-12-11: Louisville Cardinals beat Dayton Flyers 80–67 as Wheat scored a team-high 25. Perryman had 22 for Dayton Flyers.

1996-12-14: Louisville Cardinals beat Purdue Boilermakers 88–72 as Wheat scored a team-high 25. Miller had 22 for Purdue Boilermakers.

1996-12-16: Louisville Cardinals beat Wright State Raiders 65–57. Wheat led the winners with 14 points. Welch had 15 for Wright State Raiders.

1996-12-21: Louisville Cardinals survived Arkansas Razorbacks 91–88 as Sims scored a team-high 22. Reid had 21 for Arkansas Razorbacks.

1996-12-23: Behind Flynn's 17 points, Louisville Cardinals rolled past Tennessee State Tigers 102–54. Samuel, Kel. had 15 for Tennessee State Tigers.

1996-12-29: Louisville Cardinals got past Boston College Eagles 89–85 as Wheat scored a team-high 23. Abrams had 23 for Boston College Eagles.

1996-12-31: Kentucky Wildcats routed Louisville 74–54. Derek Anderson led the winners with 19 points. B.J. Flynn (*) had 12 for Louisville.

1997-01-03: Louisville Cardinals handled UAB Blazers 93–79. Wheat led the winners with 31 points. Dixon had 26 for UAB Blazers.

1997-01-06: Behind Wheat's 21 points, Louisville Cardinals pulled away from Charlotte 49ers 92–81. Johnson had 27 for Charlotte 49ers.

1997-01-11: Louisville Cardinals got past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 60–56 as Wheat scored a team-high 14. Elisma had 13 for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Elisma grabbed 15 rebounds.

1997-01-15: Louisville Cardinals beat Houston Cougars 92–78 as N. Johnson scored a team-high 24. Jones had 15 for Houston Cougars.

1997-01-19: Louisville Cardinals got past Texas Longhorns 85–78 as N. Johnson scored a team-high 21. Freeman had 34 for Texas Longhorns.

1997-01-23: Memphis Tigers got past Louisville Cardinals 64–58 as Adebayo scored a team-high 16. Sanders had 17 for Louisville Cardinals.

1997-01-25: Louisville Cardinals edged UCLA Bruins 74–71. Wheat led the winners with 17 points. O'Bannon had 24 for UCLA Bruins.

1997-01-28: Behind Wheat's 20 points, Louisville Cardinals pulled away from DePaul Blue Demons 71–54. Gelatt had 24 for DePaul Blue Demons. Gelatt grabbed 16 rebounds.

1997-01-30: Behind Wheat's 18 points, Louisville Cardinals pulled away from Cincinnati Bearcats 81–70. Patterson had 18 for Cincinnati Bearcats.

1997-02-02: Temple Owls routed Louisville Cardinals 67–44. Jackson led the winners with 20 points.

1997-02-06: Saint Louis Billikens edged Louisville Cardinals 64–62. Harris led the winners with 19 points. N. Johnson had 19 for Louisville Cardinals.

1997-02-09: Behind Henderson's 27 points, Memphis Tigers rolled past Louisville Cardinals 79–59. Wheat had 22 for Louisville Cardinals.

1997-02-15: Louisville Cardinals beat Houston Cougars 70–66. Wheat led the winners with 22 points. Jones had 28 for Houston Cougars.

1997-02-17: Louisville Cardinals beat South Florida Bulls 75–64 as Wheat scored a team-high 19. Lamb had 19 for South Florida Bulls.

1997-02-20: Behind Lovette's 19 points, Marquette Golden Eagles defeated Louisville Cardinals 79–71. Sanders had 21 for Louisville Cardinals. Lovette grabbed 15 rebounds.

1997-02-22: Behind Wheat's 30 points, Louisville Cardinals held off Southern Mississippi 75–72. Jones had 20 for Southern Mississippi.

1997-02-26: Behind Wheat's 16 points, Louisville Cardinals held off Charlotte 49ers 72–71. Johnson had 14 for Charlotte 49ers.

1997-03-01: Tulane Green Wave beat Louisville Cardinals 83–71 as Allen scored a team-high 24. Dantzler had 15 for Louisville Cardinals.

1997-03-05: Louisville Cardinals handled South Florida Bulls 69–58. Wheat led the winners with 22 points. Harper had 23 for South Florida Bulls.

1997-03-06: Charlotte 49ers beat Louisville Cardinals 64–60. Johnson led the winners with 22 points. Wheat had 20 for Louisville Cardinals.

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1996-97 Louisville Cardinals basketball — schedule and results

Game-by-game results (35 games)

Game recaps

All-time wins

On this day

AP Top 25

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