| 1996 NCAA season | |
| Higherseed: | |
| Higherseed Game1: | 85 |
| Higherseed Game2: | 82 |
| Higherseed Series: | 2 |
| Lowerseed Game1: | 69 |
| Lowerseed Game2: | 80 |
| Lowerseed Series: | 0 |
| Duration: | October 7–9, 1996 |
| Network: | Vintage Sports (IBC) |
| Prevlink: | NCAA Season 71 basketball tournament |
| Prev: | 71 |
| Seasonlink: | NCAA Season 72 |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Nextlink: | NCAA Season 73 basketball tournaments |
| Next: | 73 |
The 1996 NCAA basketball tournament was the 72nd season in the Philippine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The season opens on July 21 at the Araneta Coliseum and ended on October 9 with the San Sebastian Stags winning their fourth straight championship in the Seniors division.
League membership was raised from six to seven with the entry of Philippine Christian University.
| Team | School | Men's coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molet Pineda | |||
| Boy de Vera | |||
| Joel Banal | |||
| Ricky Cui | |||
| Bong Go | |||
| Arturo Valenzona |
Format:
No other team had a better cumulative record than the two pennant winners, so playoff for the Finals berth was not played.
San Sebastian clinched the first round pennant with a six-game sweep, defeating the San Beda Red Lions, 100-91 on August 23. [1]
On September 26, San Beda finally halt San Sebastian's 10-game winning streak following an 81-80 victory. Both teams carry a 4-0 won-loss card in the second round of action. [2]
San Beda seals a finals date with San Sebastian Stags by capturing the second round flag, winning over Perpetual Help College, 90-83 on October 1, for a six-game sweep in the second round. [3]
Stags' Brixter Encarnacion poured all of his 19 points in the second half when the Lions tried to erase a 34-45 halftime deficit to come closer at 55-60, with 12:02 left. [4]
Ulysses Tanique put the final nail on the Red Lions' coffin as he stole a pass off Kerwin McCoy for a 79-75 advantage with 24.3 seconds remaining. [5]