The 1997 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament was played from March 5 to March 8, 1997. The tournament was played at the The Spectrum

Wachovia Spectrum

The Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. The winner was named champion of the Atlantic 10 Conference and received an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana...

. Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball

The Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represents Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Its home court is the Hagan Arena. The team's only Final Four appearance in 1961 was removed from the NCAA records due to a gambling scandal. Through...

 won the tournament. Massachusetts'

UMass Minutemen basketball

The UMass Minutemen basketball team, also known as the Massachusetts Minutemen, represents the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I men's competition...

 second round loss to George Washington

George Washington Colonials men's basketball

The George Washington Colonials Basketball team represents The George Washington University in Washington, DC. It plays its home games in the Charles E. Smith Center, which is also shared with other George Washington Colonials athletic programs. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic...

 was their first loss in the conference tournament since 1991. Massachusetts, Rhode Island

Rhode Island Rams

The Rhode Island Rams are the athletic programs of the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, USA. The school sponsors 18 athletic programs , most of which compete in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team, however, competes in the Colonial Athletic...

, Temple

Temple Owls men's basketball

The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the Atlantic 10 Conference at the Division I level. The program is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The head men's basketball coach is Fran Dunphy.-History:...

, and Xavier

Xavier Musketeers men's basketball

The Xavier Musketeers team is the basketball team that represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference...

 also received bids to the NCAA Tournament. Rashid Bey of Saint Joseph's was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Future NBA player Tyson Wheeler

Tyson Wheeler

Tyson Aaron Wheeler is an American professional basketball player. A 5'10" , 165 lb point guard, he played four years at the University of Rhode Island basketball team from 1994 to 1998...

 of Rhode Island was among those also named to the All-Championship Team. The top two teams in each division received a first-round bye.

Bracket

All games played at The Spectrum

Wachovia Spectrum

The Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* - Overtime