The 1997 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament took place from February 27–March 2, 1997, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Chattanooga Mocs, led by head coach Mack McCarthy, won their eight Southern Conference title and received the automatic berth to the 1997 NCAA tournament.
[1] All of the conference's ten members were eligible for the tournament.
Teams were seeded based on conference winning percentage.
The top three finishers in each division received first round byes.