| Sport: | Basketball |
| Year: | 1996–97 |
| Team: | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| Conference: | Conference USA |
| Short Conf: | C-USA |
| Coachrank: | 10 |
| Aprank: | 10 |
| Record: | 26–8 |
| Conf Record: | 12–2 |
| Asst Coach1: | Larry Harrison |
| Asst Coach2: | Steve Moeller |
| Asst Coach3: | John Loyer |
| Conf Champ: | C-USA regular season champions |
| Tourney Result: | Second round |
The 1996–97 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team represented the University of Cincinnati in NCAA Division I competition in the 1996–97 season. The Bearcats, coached by Bob Huggins, won Conference USA and reached the second round of the 1997 NCAA tournament. The team finished with an overall record of 26–8 (12–2 C-USA) and a No. 10 ranking in the final AP poll.
|-!colspan=12 style=|Regular Season|-!colspan=12 style=|C-USA Tournament |-!colspan=12 style=|NCAA Tournament [1]
See also: 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.