The 1997 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was the 41st annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States.
The tournament officially culminated the 1996–97 NCAA Division II men's basketball season, featuring forty-eight teams from around the country.
The national quarterfinals (Elite Eight), semifinals, and championship were played at the Commonwealth Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Cal State Bakersfield (29–4) defeated Northern Kentucky in the final, 57–56, to win their third overall Division II national championship and their third in five seasons.
It was also NKU's second consecutive loss in the national championship game, having lost to Fort Hays State in 1996.