The 1996-97 North Carolina Tar Heels went 28-7 (11-5 in the ACC) under head coach Dean Smith. The team peaked at #4 in the AP poll. Simple Rating System: 21.23.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-11-22 | neutral Arizona Wildcats | L 72–83 | Springfield Civic Center |
| 1996-11-25 | vs Richmond Spiders | W 86–75 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1996-11-29 | vs Pittsburgh Panthers | W 82–61 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1996-12-02 | vs Bethune-Cookman Wildcats | W 106–62 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1996-12-06 | vs USC Trojans | W 99–84 | Charlotte Coliseum (II) |
| 1996-12-07 | vs South Carolina Gamecocks | W 86–75 | Charlotte Coliseum (II) |
| 1996-12-15 | at VMI Keydets | W 105–61 | Cameron Hall |
| 1996-12-18 | neutral LSU Tigers | W 67–48 | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 1996-12-20 | neutral Massachusetts Minutemen | W 83–69 | Continental Airlines Arena |
| 1996-12-22 | at Princeton Tigers | W 69–60 | Jadwin Gymnasium |
| 1997-01-04 | at Wake Forest Demon Deacons | L 57–81 | Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| 1997-01-08 | vs Maryland Terrapins | L 75–85 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-01-11 | at Virginia Cavaliers | L 63–75 | University Hall |
| 1997-01-15 | vs NC State Wolfpack | W 59–56 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-01-18 | vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | W 73–50 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-01-22 | at Florida State Seminoles | L 71–84 | Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center |
| 1997-01-26 | vs Clemson Tigers | W 61–48 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-01-29 | at Duke Blue Devils | L 73–80 | Cameron Indoor Stadium |
| 1997-02-01 | vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | W 99–49 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-02-06 | vs Florida State Seminoles | W 90–62 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-02-08 | vs Virginia Cavaliers | W 81–57 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-02-12 | at NC State Wolfpack | W 45–44 | Reynolds Coliseum |
| 1997-02-15 | at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | W 72–68 | Alexander Memorial Coliseum |
| 1997-02-19 | vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons | W 74–60 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-02-22 | at Maryland Terrapins | W 93–81 | Cole Fieldhouse |
| 1997-02-26 | at Clemson Tigers | W 76–69 | Littlejohn Coliseum |
| 1997-03-02 | vs Duke Blue Devils | W 91–85 | Dean Smith Center |
| 1997-03-07 | vs Virginia Cavaliers | W 78–68 | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 1997-03-08 | neutral Wake Forest Demon Deacons | W 86–73 | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 1997-03-09 | neutral NC State Wolfpack | W 64–54 | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 1997-03-13 | neutral Fairfield Stags | W 82–74 | Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| 1997-03-15 | neutral Colorado Buffaloes | W 73–56 | Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| 1997-03-21 | neutral California Golden Bears | W 63–57 | Carrier Dome |
| 1997-03-23 | neutral Louisville Cardinals | W 97–74 | Carrier Dome |
| 1997-03-29 | neutral Arizona Wildcats | L 58–66 | RCA Dome |
North Carolina Tar Heels program history · All Division I programs · Hoopsipedia home
| Rank | Team | Conference | All-Time Wins |
|---|
Top 100 by all-time D1 wins. Verified against the NCAA record book — and tiered so you can argue properly.
| # | COACH | RECORD | WIN % | SCHOOL(S) | YEARS | BEST SEASON / LEGACY |
|---|