The 1996 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament was the 40th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States. The tournament, which featured forty-eight teams, culminated the . The Elite Eight, national semifinals, and championship were played at the Commonwealth Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Fort Hays State (34–0) defeated Northern Kentucky in the final, 70–63, to win their first Division II national title.