| Year: | 1997 |
| Conference: | TAAC |
| Division: | I |
| Gender: | Men's |
| Teams: | 8 |
| Arena: | F. Mitchell Johnson Arena |
| City: | Charleston, SC |
| Champions: | College of Charleston |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Coach: | John Kresse |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
| Mvp: | Anthony Johnson |
| Mvpteam: | College of Charleston |
The 1997 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament (now known as the ASUN men's basketball tournament) was held February 27–March 1 at F. Mitchell Johnson Arena at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.[1]
College of Charleston defeated in the championship game, 83–73, to win their first TAAC/Atlantic Sun men's basketball tournament.
The Cougars, therefore, received the TAAC's automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA tournament, their first automatic bid to the Division I tournament. Charleston defeated Maryland in the First Round before falling to eventual-champion Arizona in the Round of 32.
The 12 teams in the TAAC were separated into two six-team divisions, and the top four eligible teams from each division qualified for the tournament. College of Charleston became eligible for the tournament this year after becoming a full Division I member. However, transitioning members Florida Atlantic and Jacksonville State were not eligible.