1997 Big East men's basketball tournament

The 1997 Big East men's basketball tournament took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Its winner received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 1997 NCAA tournament. It is a single-elimination tournament with four rounds and the three highest seeds received byes in the first round. All 13 Big East teams were invited to participate. Boston College and Villanova finished with the best record in the regular season. After tie-breakers, Villanova was awarded the top seed.

Boston College defeated Villanova in the final, 70–58 to earn its first Big East tournament championship. Future NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb participated in the tournament as a reserve forward for Syracuse.

Awards
Dave Gavitt Trophy (Most Outstanding Player): Scoonie Penn, Boston College

All-Tournament Team
 * Danya Abrams, Boston College
 * Victor Page, Georgetown
 * Scoonie Penn, Boston College
 * Tim Thomas, Villanova
 * Alvin Williams, Villanova
 * Duane Woodward, Boston College