The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1995-96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 1996 National Title Game was played on April 1, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 1996 National Title Game was played between the 1996 Midwest Regional Champions, #1-seeded Kentucky and the 1996 West Regional Champions, #4-seeded Syracuse.