The 1997 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament took place February 26–March 1, 1997, at the Vines Center in Lynchburg, Virginia, the home of the Liberty Flames.
For the fourth time in their school history, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers won the tournament, led by head coach Tom Conrad.
As of 2023, this is Charleston Southern's only NCAA tournament appearance.
All eight teams participated in the tournament, hosted at the Vines Center.
Teams were seeded by conference winning percentage.