The 1997 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held February 28–March 4 at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas.
[1] South Alabama defeated Louisiana Tech in the championship game, 44–43, to win their third Sun Belt men's basketball tournament.
The Jaguars, in turn, received an automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA tournament.
No other Sun Belt members were invited to the tournament.
All teams participated in the tournament, maintaining its ten-team format.