1999 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season1998–99
Teams64
Finals siteTropicana Field
St. Petersburg, Florida
ChampionsConnecticut Huskies (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upDuke Blue Devils (8th title game,
12th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJim Calhoun (1st title)
MOPRichard Hamilton (Connecticut)
Attendance720,685
Top scorerRichard Hamilton (Connecticut)
(145 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1998 2000»

The 1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. A total of 63 games were played. This Final Four was the first—and so far, only—to be held in a baseball-specific facility, as Tropicana Field is home to the Tampa Bay Rays (then known as the Devil Rays).

The Final Four consisted of Connecticut, making their first ever Final Four appearance; Ohio State, making their ninth Final Four appearance and first since 1968; Michigan State, making their third Final Four appearance and first since their 1979 national championship; and Duke, the overall number one seed and making their first Final Four appearance since losing the national championship game in 1994.

In the national championship game, Connecticut defeated Duke 77–74 to win their first ever national championship, snapping Duke's 32-game winning streak, and scoring the biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history. Duke nonetheless tied the record for most games won during a single season, with 37, which they co-held until Kentucky's 38-win seasons in 2011–12 and 2014–15. The 2007–08 Memphis team actually broke this record first, but the team was later forced to vacate their entire season due to eligibility issues surrounding the team.

Richard "Rip" Hamilton of Connecticut was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. This was a significant victory for the program, as it cemented Connecticut's reputation as a true basketball power after a decade of barely missing the Final Four.

This tournament is also historically notable as the coming-out party for Gonzaga as a rising mid-major power. Gonzaga has made every NCAA tournament since then, and is now generally considered to be a high-major program despite its mid-major conference affiliation.

Due to violations committed by Ohio State head coach Jim O'Brien, the Buckeyes were forced to vacate their appearance in the 1999 Final Four.[1]

Schedule and venues

1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Boston
Boston
Charlotte
Charlotte
Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Orlando
Orlando
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
New Orleans
New Orleans
Denver
Denver
Seattle
Seattle
1999 first and second rounds
1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Phoenix
Phoenix
St. Louis
St. Louis
Knoxville
Knoxville
E. Rutherford
E. Rutherford
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg
1999 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1999 tournament:

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

There were 30 automatic bids awarded to the tournament - of these, 28 were given to the winners of their conference's tournament, while two were awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in their conference (Ivy League and Pac-10).

Five conference champions made their first NCAA tournament appearances: Arkansas State (Sun Belt), Florida A&M (MEAC), Kent State (MAC), Samford (TAAC), and Winthrop (Big South).

Automatic qualifiers

Automatic qualifiers
Conference Team Appearance Last bid
ACC Duke 23rd 1998
America East Delaware 4th 1998
Atlantic 10 Rhode Island 8th 1998
Big 12 Kansas 28th 1998
Big East Connecticut 20th 1998
Big Sky Weber State 12th 1995
Big South Winthrop 1st Never
Big Ten Michigan State 13th 1998
Big West New Mexico State 15th 1994
CAA George Mason 2nd 1989
Conference USA UNC Charlotte 7th 1998
Ivy League Penn 17th 1995
MAAC Siena 2nd 1989
MAC Kent State 1st Never
MCC Detroit 5th 1998
MEAC Florida A&M 1st Never
Mid-Continent Valparaiso 4th 1998
Missouri Valley Creighton 10th 1991
NEC Mount St. Mary's 2nd 1995
Ohio Valley Murray State 10th 1998
Pac-10 Stanford 8th 1998
Patriot Lafayette 2nd 1957
SEC Kentucky 40th 1998
Southern College of Charleston 4th 1998
Southland UTSA 2nd 1988
SWAC Alcorn State 5th 1984
Sun Belt Arkansas State 1st Never
TAAC Samford 1st Never
WAC Utah 21st 1998
West Coast Gonzaga 2nd 1995

Listed by region and seeding

East Regional – Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Duke ACC 32–1 Automatic
2 Miami (FL) Big East 22–6 At-Large
3 Cincinnati Conference USA 26–5 At-Large
4 Tennessee SEC 20–8 At-Large
5 Wisconsin Big Ten 22–9 At-Large
6 Temple Atlantic 10 21–10 At-Large
7 Texas Big 12 19–12 At-Large
8 College of Charleston Southern 28–2 Automatic
9 Tulsa WAC 22–9 At-Large
10 Purdue Big Ten 19–12 At-Large
11 Kent State Mid-American 23–6 Automatic
12 Southwest Missouri State Missouri Valley 20–12 At-Large
13 Delaware America East 25–5 Automatic
14 George Mason CAA 19–10 Automatic
15 Lafayette Patriot 22–7 Automatic
16 Florida A&M MEAC 12–18 Automatic
South Regional – Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Auburn SEC 27–3 At-Large
2 Maryland ACC 26–5 At-Large
3 St. John's Big East 25–8 At-Large
4 Ohio State (vacated) Big Ten 23–8 At-Large
5 UCLA (vacated) Pac-10 22–8 At-Large
6 Indiana Big Ten 22–10 At-Large
7 Louisville Conference USA 19–10 At-Large
8 Syracuse Big East 21–11 At-Large
9 Oklahoma State Big 12 22–10 At-Large
10 Creighton Missouri Valley 21–8 Automatic
11 George Washington Atlantic 10 20–8 At-Large
12 Detroit MCC 24–5 Automatic
13 Murray State Ohio Valley 27–5 Automatic
14 Samford TAAC 24–5 Automatic
15 Valparaiso Mid-Continent 23–8 Automatic
16 Winthrop Big South 17–13 Automatic
Midwest Regional – Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Michigan State Big Ten 29–4 Automatic
2 Utah WAC 27–4 Automatic
3 Kentucky SEC 25–8 Automatic
4 Arizona (vacated) Pac-10 22–6 At-Large
5 UNC Charlotte Conference USA 22–10 Automatic
6 Kansas Big 12 22–9 Automatic
7 Washington Pac-10 17–11 At-Large
8 Villanova Big East 21–10 At-Large
9 Ole Miss SEC 19–13 At-Large
10 Miami (OH) MAC 22–7 At-Large
11 Evansville Missouri Valley 23–9 At-Large
12 Rhode Island Atlantic 10 20–10 Automatic
13 Oklahoma Big 12 20–10 At-Large
14 New Mexico State Big West 23–9 Automatic
15 Arkansas State Sun Belt 18–11 Automatic
16 Mount St. Mary's NEC 15–14 Automatic
West Regional – America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Connecticut Big East 28–2 Automatic
2 Stanford Pac-10 25–6 Automatic
3 North Carolina ACC 24–9 At-Large
4 Arkansas SEC 22–10 At-Large
5 Iowa Big Ten 18–9 At-Large
6 Florida SEC 20–8 At-Large
7 Minnesota Big Ten 17–10 At-Large
8 Missouri Big 12 20–8 At-Large
9 New Mexico WAC 24–8 At-Large
10 Gonzaga West Coast 25–6 Automatic
11 Penn Ivy League 21–5 Automatic
12 UAB Conference USA 20–11 At-Large
13 Siena MAAC 25–5 Automatic
14 Weber State Big Sky 24–7 Automatic
15 Alcorn State SWAC 23–6 Automatic
16 UTSA Southland 18–10 Automatic

Bids by conference

Bids by Conference
Bids Conference(s)
7 Big Ten
6 SEC
5 Big 12, Big East
4 C-USA, Pac-10
3 Atlantic 10, ACC, Missouri Valley, WAC
2 Mid-American
1 19 others

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Duke 99
16 Florida A&M 58
1 Duke 97
Charlotte
9 Tulsa 56
8 College of Charleston 53
9 Tulsa 62
1 Duke 78
12 SW Missouri St. 61
5 Wisconsin 32
12 SW Missouri St. 43
12 SW Missouri St. 81
Charlotte
4 Tennessee 51
4 Tennessee 62
13 Delaware 52
1 Duke 85
6 Temple 64
6 Temple 61
11 Kent St. 54
6 Temple 64
Boston
3 Cincinnati 54
3 Cincinnati 72
14 George Mason 48
6 Temple 77
10 Purdue 55
7 Texas 54
10 Purdue 58
10 Purdue 73
Boston
2 Miami-FL 63
2 Miami-FL 75
15 Lafayette 54

Regional Final summary

CBS
Sunday, March 21
#1 Duke Blue Devils 85, #6 Temple Owls 64
Scoring by half: 43–31, 42–33
Pts: T. Langdon – 23
Rebs: E. Brand – 8
Asts: C. Carrawell – 7		 Pts: L. Barnes, M. Karcher – 19
Rebs: L. Barnes – 8
Asts: P. Sánchez – 4
Continental Airlines Arena – East Rutherford, NJ
Attendance: 19,557
Referees: Frankie Bourdeaux, Ted Valentine, Scott Thornley

Midwest Regional – St. Louis, Missouri

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Michigan State 76
16 Mount St. Mary's 53
1 Michigan State 74
Milwaukee
9 Ole Miss 66
8 Villanova 70
9 Ole Miss 72
1 Michigan State 54
13 Oklahoma 46
5 Charlotte 81*
12 Rhode Island 70
5 Charlotte 72
Milwaukee
13 Oklahoma 85
4 Arizona 60
13 Oklahoma 61
1 Michigan State 73
3 Kentucky 66
6 Kansas 95
11 Evansville 74
6 Kansas 88
New Orleans
3 Kentucky 92*
3 Kentucky 82
14 New Mexico State 60
3 Kentucky 58
10 Miami-OH 43
7 Washington 58
10 Miami-OH 59
10 Miami-OH 66
New Orleans
2 Utah 58
2 Utah 80
15 Arkansas State 58

Regional Final summary

CBS
Sunday, March 21
#1 Michigan State Spartans 73, #3 Kentucky Wildcats 66
Scoring by half: 35–36, 38–30
Pts: M. Peterson – 19
Rebs: M. Peterson – 10
Asts: M. Cleaves – 7		 Pts: H. Evans, T. Prince – 12
Rebs: H. Evans – 6
Asts: W. Turner – 8
Trans World Dome – St. Louis, MO
Attendance: 42,519
Referees: Jim Burr, Bob Donato, Reggie Greenwood

South Regional – Knoxville, Tennessee

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Auburn 80
16 Winthrop 41
1 Auburn 81
Indianapolis
9 Oklahoma State 74
8 Syracuse 61
9 Oklahoma State 69
1 Auburn 64
4 Ohio State 72
5 UCLA 53
12 Detroit Mercy 56
12 Detroit Mercy 44
Indianapolis
4 Ohio State 75
4 Ohio State 72
13 Murray State 58
4 Ohio State 77
3 St. John's 74
6 Indiana 108
11 George Washington 88
6 Indiana 61
Orlando
3 St. John's 86
3 St. John's 69
14 Samford 43
3 St. John's 76
2 Maryland 62
7 Louisville 58
10 Creighton 62
10 Creighton 63
Orlando
2 Maryland 75
2 Maryland 82
15 Valparaiso 60

Regional Final summary

CBS
Saturday, March 20
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes 77, #3 St. John's Red Storm 74
Scoring by half: 41–33, 36–41
Pts: S. Penn – 22
Rebs: S. Penn – 8
Asts: S. Penn – 8		 Pts: L. Postell – 24
Rebs: L. Postell, R. Artest – 9
Asts: E. Barkley – 7
Thompson–Boling Arena – Knoxville, TN
Attendance: 24,248
Referees: Dave Libbey, Gene Monje, Mark Whitehead

West Regional – Phoenix, Arizona

First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Connecticut 91
16 UTSA 66
1 Connecticut 78
Denver
9 New Mexico 56
8 Missouri 59
9 New Mexico 61
1 Connecticut 78
5 Iowa 68
5 Iowa 77
12 UAB 64
5 Iowa 82
Denver
4 Arkansas 72
4 Arkansas 94
13 Siena 80
1 Connecticut 67
10 Gonzaga 62
6 Florida 75
11 Pennsylvania 61
6 Florida 82*
Seattle
14 Weber State 74
3 North Carolina 74
14 Weber State 76
6 Florida 72
10 Gonzaga 73
7 Minnesota 63
10 Gonzaga 75
10 Gonzaga 82
Seattle
2 Stanford 74
2 Stanford 69
15 Alcorn State 57

Game summaries

First Round

CBS
Thursday, March 11
10:15 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 91, #16 UTSA Roadrunners 66
Scoring by half: 52–27, 39–39
Pts: R. Hamilton – 28
Rebs: K. Freeman – 8
Asts: K. El-Amin – 10		 Pts: S. Meyer – 18
Rebs: M. Powers – 8
Asts: S. Meyer, J. Riley – 3
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, CO
Attendance: 16,237
Referees: Mark Whitehead, Larry Lembo, Robert Staffen

Second Round

CBS
Saturday, March 13
2:20 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 78, #9 New Mexico Lobos 56
Scoring by half: 37–22, 41–34
Pts: K. El-Amin, R. Hamilton – 21
Rebs: J. Voskuhl – 9
Asts: E.J. Harrison – 3		 Pts: D. Walker – 21
Rebs: K. Thomas – 11
Asts: J. Harrison II – 6
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, CO
Attendance: 16,237
Referees: Frank Scagliotta, Gerald Boudreaux, Phil Bova

Regional Semifinals

CBS
Thursday, March 18
10:27 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 78, #5 Iowa Hawkeyes 68
Scoring by half: 40–35, 38–33
Pts: R. Hamilton – 24
Rebs: K. Freeman – 6
Asts: K. El-Amin, R. Moore – 5		 Pts: J. R. Koch – 14
Rebs: J. Bauer, G. Rucker, J. Settles – 6
Asts: J. Bauer, D. Oliver, J. Settles – 2
America West Arena – Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 17,975
Referees: Jody Silvester, Frank Bosone, John Sweeney

Regional Final

CBS
Saturday, March 20
3:40 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 67, #10 Gonzaga Bulldogs 62
Scoring by half: 31–32, 36–30
Pts: R. Hamilton – 21
Rebs: K. Freeman – 15
Asts: K. El-Amin – 4		 Pts: Q. Hall – 18
Rebs: Q. Hall, C. Calvary – 8
Asts: M. Santangelo, R. Floyd, R. Frahm – 2
America West Arena – Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 18,053
Referees: Mike Patterson, Larry Rose, Bobby Hunt

Final Four

St. Petersburg, Florida

National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E1 Duke 68
M1 Michigan State 62
E1 Duke 74
W1 Connecticut 77
S4 Ohio State 58
W1 Connecticut 64

Game summaries

Final four

CBS
Saturday, March 27
5:42 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 64, #4 Ohio State Buckeyes 58
Scoring by half: 36–35, 28–23
Pts: R. Hamilton – 24
Rebs: Ricky Moore – 8
Asts: K. El-Amin – 6		 Pts: M. Redd – 15
Rebs: M. Redd – 8
Asts: J. Singleton, S. Penn – 4
Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
Attendance: 41,340
Referees: Jim Burr, Larry Rose, Mark Whitehead
CBS
Saturday, March 27
8:00 pm
#1 Duke Blue Devils 68, #1 Michigan State Spartans 62
Scoring by half: 32–20, 36–42
Pts: E. Brand – 18
Rebs: E. Brand – 15
Asts: T. Langdon – 3		 Pts: M. Peterson – 15
Rebs: A. Smith – 10
Asts: M. Cleaves – 10
Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
Attendance: 41,340
Referees: Dave Libbey, Curtis Shaw, John Cahill

National Championship

CBS
Monday, March 29
9:18 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 77, #1 Duke Blue Devils 74
Scoring by half: 37–39, 40–35
Pts: R. Hamilton – 27
Rebs: Ricky Moore, K. Freeman – 8
Asts: K. El-Amin – 4		 Pts: T. Langdon – 25
Rebs: E. Brand – 13
Asts: W. Avery – 5
Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
Attendance: 41,340
Referees: Tim Higgins, Gerald Boudreaux, Scott Thornley

Media coverage

Television

CBS Sports

Commentary teams

Radio

Westwood One

First and Second Rounds

  • – East Region First and Second Rounds at Charlotte, North Carolina
  • – East Region First and Second Rounds at Boston, Massachusetts
  • – Midwest Region First and Second Rounds at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • – Midwest Region First and Second Rounds at New Orleans, Louisiana
  • – South Region First and Second Rounds at Indianapolis, Indiana
  • – South Region First and Second Rounds at Orlando, Florida
  • – West Region First and Second Rounds at Denver, Colorado
  • – West Region First and Second Rounds at Seattle, Washington

Regionals

  • – East Regional at East Rutherford, New Jersey
  • – Midwest Regional at St. Louis, Missouri
  • – South Regional at Knoxville, Tennessee
  • – West Regional at Phoenix, Arizona

Final Four and National Championship

  • Marty Brennaman and Ron Franklin – (Connecticut–Ohio State) Final Four at St. Petersburg, Florida
  • John Rooney and Bill Raftery – (Duke–Michigan State) Final Four and National Championship Game at St. Petersburg, Florida

Local Radio

East Regional – East Rutherford
Seed School Radio Play-by-play Color commentator Studio host
1
Midwest Regional – St. Louis
Seed School Radio Play-by-play Color commentator Studio host
1
South Regional – Knoxville
Seed School Radio Play-by-play Color commentator Studio host
1
West Regional – Phoenix
Seed School Radio Play-by-play Color commentator Studio host
1 Connecticut WTIC–AM 1080 (Connecticut) Joe D'Ambrosio Wayne Norman

Additional notes

  • Despite their loss in the finals to Connecticut, the 1998–1999 Duke team won 37 games.[2] This tied them with Duke's 1985–86 team, UNLV's 1986–87 squad, and later, Illinois' 2004–05 team and Kansas's 2007–08 team, for the most wins in a season, until their record was broken by the 38-win Memphis team in 2007–08. However, as the NCAA vacated Memphis' 2007–2008 season due to the ineligibility of Derrick Rose, they reclaimed the 37-win record. The mark would once again be raised to 38 wins after Kentucky's dominant title run in 2012, which then tied with Kentucky's 2014–15 team. Only one of the first 5 teams to be the winningest single-season teams won a national championship; UNLV's squad lost in the national semifinal to Indiana, and the other teams lost in the finals, to Louisville, UConn, and North Carolina, while Kansas defeated Memphis in the 2008 national championship game. Kentucky's 2014–15 squad suffered their only loss that season in the national semifinal to Wisconsin.
  • Connecticut's victory in the finals marks the biggest upset in Championship Game history in the NCAA tournament, as they were 9.5-point underdogs in the contest despite having compiled a 33–2 record going into the Championship game, including a 14–2 record in the tough Big East Conference. In fact, Connecticut had spent more weeks as the number 1 team in the country, according to the AP Top 25 Poll, than had Duke. The previous record was held by Villanova, who defeated Georgetown as 9-point underdogs in 1985.[3]
  • The 1999 Final Four would be the last time Tropicana Field would host NCAA tournament games. For Duke, they had 2 straight promising seasons end on the Tropicana Field floor, with an 86–84 loss to Kentucky in the 1998 South Regional final, and then the 1999 National Championship game.
  • North Carolina lost to Weber State which marked the first time the Tar Heels had lost in the first round of the expanded field era with 64 or more teams.
  • This is the only tournament in which all four 7-seeds lost in the first round to their 10-seeded opponents.

Notes

  1. ↑ Jim O'Brien – Firing controversy (references included)
  2. ↑ "Men's College Basketball 1998–1999 Chi Square Linear WL – SD". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Gold Sheet College Basketball Log". Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

See also

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