The 2016–17 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represented the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

The Gauchos, led by 19th-year head coach Bob Williams, played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, nicknamed the Thunderdome, as members of the Big West Conference.

They failed to qualify for the Big West tournament.

They defeated UC Davis in the Big West tournament losing to Hawaii in the semifinals.

They were invited to the inaugural Vegas 16 tournament, which only had eight teams, where they defeated Northern Illinois to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Old Dominion.