1996–97 California Golden Bears men's basketball team

1996–97 California Golden Bears men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 18
Record23–9 (12–6 Pac-10)
Head coach
Home arenaHarmon Gym
1996–97 Pacific-10 Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 7 UCLA153 .833248  .750
No. 21 Stanford126 .667228  .733
California126 .667239  .719
USC126 .6671711  .607
No. 15 Arizona117 .611259  .735
Washington108 .5561711  .607
Oregon810 .4441711  .607
Washington State513 .2781317  .433
Oregon State315 .167720  .259
Arizona State216 .1111020  .333
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996–97 California Golden Bears men's basketball team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the 1996–97 season.

Led by head coach Ben Braun, the Bears finished the regular season with a 12–6 record in the Pac-10, placing them in a tie for second. The Bears would receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament where they would make a run to the Sweet Sixteen. The Golden Bears defeated Princeton and Villanova before falling to North Carolina in the East Regional semifinal. The team finished the season with an overall record of 23–9.