The 1997 Conference USA men's basketball tournament was held March 5–8 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Golden Eagles, in turn, received an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA tournament.
They were joined in the tournament by fellow C-USA members UNC Charlotte, Cincinnati, and Louisville, who all earned at-large bids.
With Houston officially joining Conference USA prior to 1996–97 season, total membership increased to twelve.
All seeds were determined by regular season conference records, regardless of division.