1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 1999 1999 Final Four logo.png 64 Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, Florida Connecticut Huskies 1st 1st 1st Duke Blue Devils 8th 12th Michigan State Spartans 3rd Ohio State Buckeyes (Vacated) 9th Jim Calhoun 1st Richard Hamilton Connecticut 720,685 Richard Hamilton Connecticut 145 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. The 61st annual edition of the tournament 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 its first Final Four appearance; Ohio State, in its ninth Final Four appearance and first since 1968; Michigan State, its third Final Four appearance and first since the 1979 national championship season; and Duke, the overall number one seed in its first Final Four appearance since losing the national championship game in 1994. In the national championship game, Connecticut defeated Duke 77–74 to win its first 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 forced to vacate the 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. Gonzaga is expected to join the newly revamped Pac-12 Conference in the 2025–26 academic year. 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.Jim O'Brien Firing controversy (references included) Schedule and venues USA 450 right 1999 first and second rounds USA green pog.svg 42.358486 -71.060097 left #FFFFFF Boston TD Garden USA green pog.svg 35.227087 -80.843127 bottom #FFFFFF Charlotte Charlotte Coliseum USA green pog.svg 39.768403 -86.158068 left #FFFFFF Indianapolis RCA Dome USA green pog.svg 28.538335 -81.379236 top #FFFFFF Orlando TAmway Arena Orlando Arena USA green pog.svg 43.038902 -87.906474 left #FFFFFF Milwaukee Bradley Center USA green pog.svg 29.951066 -90.071532 left #FFFFFF New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome Louisiana Superdome USA green pog.svg 39.738436 -104.984859 left #FFFFFF Denver McNichols Sports Arena USA green pog.svg 47.606209 -122.332071 bottom #FFFFFF Seattle KeyArena USA 450 right 1999 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red) USA blue pog.svg 33.448377 -112.074037 left #FFFFFF Phoenix US Airways Center America West Arena USA blue pog.svg 38.627003 -90.199404 right #FFFFFF St. Louis Edward Jones Dome Trans World Dome USA blue pog.svg 35.960638 -83.920739 left #FFFFFF Knoxville Thompson–Boling Arena USA blue pog.svg 40.833989 -74.097086 left #FFFFFF E. Rutherford Izod Center Continental Airlines Arena USA red pog.svg 27.773056 -82.640000 left #FFFFFF St. Petersburg Tropicana Field The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1999 tournament: First and Second Rounds March 11 and 13 South Region RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: Butler University, Midwestern Collegiate Conference) Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida (Host: Stetson University) West Region McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado (Hosts: Western Athletic Conference, Colorado State University) KeyArena, Seattle, Washington (Host: University of Washington) March 12 and 14 East Region FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts (Host: Boston College) Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Charlotte) Midwest Region Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Host: Marquette University) Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana (Host: Tulane University) Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 18 and 20 South Regional, Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee (Host: University of Tennessee) West Regional, America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona (Host: Arizona State University) March 19 and 21 East Regional, Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey (Hosts: Seton Hall University, Big East Conference) Midwest Regional, Trans World Dome, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference) National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship) March 27 and 29 Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida (Hosts: University of South Florida, Conference USA) 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 qualifiersConferenceTeamAppearanceLast bidACCDuke23rd1998America EastDelaware4th1998Atlantic 10Rhode Island8th1998Big 12Kansas28th1998Big EastConnecticut20th1998Big SkyWeber State12th1995Big SouthWinthrop1st0 NeverBig TenMichigan State13th1998Big West1998 New Mexico State Aggies New Mexico State15th1994CAAGeorge Mason2nd1989Conference USAUNC Charlotte7th1998Ivy LeaguePenn17th1995MAACSiena2nd1989MACKent State1st0 NeverMCCDetroit5th1998MEACFlorida A&M1st0 NeverMid-ContinentValparaiso4th1998Missouri ValleyCreighton10th1991NECMount St. Mary's2nd1995Ohio ValleyMurray State10th1998Pac-10Stanford8th1998PatriotLafayette2nd1957SECKentucky40th1998SouthernCollege of Charleston4th1998SouthlandUTSA2nd1988SWACAlcorn State5th1984Sun BeltArkansas State1st0 NeverTAACSamford1st0 NeverWACUtah21st1998West CoastGonzaga2nd1995 Listed by region and seeding +East Regional – Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New JerseySeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1DukeACC32–1Automatic2Miami (FL)Big East22–6At-Large3CincinnatiConference USA26–5At-Large4TennesseeSEC20–8At-Large5WisconsinBig Ten22–9At-Large6TempleAtlantic 1021–10At-Large7TexasBig 1219–12At-Large8College of CharlestonSouthern28–2Automatic9TulsaWAC22–9At-Large10PurdueBig Ten19–12At-Large11Kent StateMAC23–6Automatic12Southwest Missouri StateMissouri Valley20–10At-Large13DelawareAmerica East25–5Automatic14George MasonCAA19–10Automatic15LafayettePatriot22–7Automatic16Florida A&MMEAC12–18Automatic+South Regional – Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, TennesseeSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1AuburnSEC27–3At-Large2MarylandACC26–5At-Large3St. John'sBig East25–8At-Large4Ohio State (vacated)Big Ten23–8At-Large5UCLA (vacated)Pac-1022–8At-Large6IndianaBig Ten22–10At-Large7LouisvilleConference USA19–10At-Large8SyracuseBig East21–11At-Large9Oklahoma StateBig 1222–10At-Large10CreightonMissouri Valley21–8Automatic11George WashingtonAtlantic 1020–8At-Large12DetroitMCC24–5Automatic13Murray StateOhio Valley27–5Automatic14SamfordTAAC24–5Automatic15ValparaisoMid-Continent23–8Automatic16WinthropBig South17–13Automatic+Midwest Regional – Trans World Dome, St. Louis, MissouriSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1Michigan StateBig Ten29–4Automatic2UtahWAC27–4Automatic3KentuckySEC25–8Automatic4Arizona (vacated)Pac-1022–6At-Large5UNC CharlotteConference USA22–10Automatic6KansasBig 1222–9Automatic7WashingtonPac-1017–11At-Large8VillanovaBig East21–10At-Large9Ole MissSEC19–13At-Large10Miami (OH)MAC22–7At-Large11EvansvilleMissouri Valley23–9At-Large12Rhode IslandAtlantic 1020–10Automatic13OklahomaBig 1220–10At-Large141998 New Mexico State Aggies New Mexico StateBig West23–9Automatic15Arkansas StateSun Belt18–11Automatic16Mount St. Mary'sNEC15–14Automatic+West Regional – America West Arena, Phoenix, ArizonaSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type1ConnecticutBig East28–2Automatic2StanfordPac-1025–6Automatic3North CarolinaACC24–9At-Large4ArkansasSEC22–10At-Large5IowaBig Ten18–9At-Large6FloridaSEC20–8At-Large7MinnesotaBig Ten17–10At-Large8MissouriBig 1220–8At-Large9New MexicoWAC24–8At-Large10GonzagaWest Coast25–6Automatic11PennIvy League21–5Automatic12UABConference USA20–11At-Large13SienaMAAC25–5Automatic14Weber StateBig Sky24–7Automatic15Alcorn StateSWAC23–6Automatic16UTSASouthland18–10Automatic Bids by conference Bids by ConferenceBidsConference(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 East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Charlotte Charlotte Boston Boston Duke 99 16 Florida A&M 58 8 College of Charleston 53 9 Tulsa 62 5 Wisconsin 32 12 SW Missouri St. 43 4 Tennessee 62 13 Delaware 52 6 Temple 61 11 Kent St. 54 3 Cincinnati 72 14 George Mason 48 7 Texas 54 10 Purdue 58 2 Miami-FL 75 15 Lafayette 54 1 Duke 97 9 Tulsa 56 12 SW Missouri St. 81 4 Tennessee 51 6 Temple 64 3 Cincinnati 54 10 Purdue 73 2 Miami-FL 63 1 Duke 78 12 SW Missouri St. 61 6 Temple 77 10 Purdue 55 1 Duke 85 6 Temple 64 Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Sunday, March 21 box score #1 Duke Blue Devils 85 #6 Temple Owls 64 T. Langdon 23 E. Brand 8 C. Carrawell 7 L. Barnes, M. Karcher 19 L. Barnes 8 P. Sánchez 4 43–31 42–33 Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, NJ 19,557 Frankie Bourdeaux, Ted Valentine, Scott Thornley CBS Midwest Regional – St. Louis, Missouri Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Milwaukee Milwaukee New Orleans New Orleans Michigan State 76 16 Mount St. Mary's 53 8 Villanova 70 9 Ole Miss 72 5 Charlotte 81OT 12 Rhode Island 70 4 Arizona 60 13 Oklahoma 61 6 Kansas 95 11 Evansville 74 3 Kentucky 82 14 New Mexico State 60 7 Washington 58 10 Miami-OH 59 2 Utah 80 15 Arkansas State 58 1 Michigan State 74 9 Ole Miss 66 5 Charlotte 72 13 Oklahoma 85 6 Kansas 88 3 Kentucky 92OT 10 Miami-OH 66 2 Utah 58 1 Michigan State 54 13 Oklahoma 46 3 Kentucky 58 10 Miami-OH 43 1 Michigan State 73 3 Kentucky 66 Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Sunday, March 21 box score #1 Michigan State Spartans 73 #3 Kentucky Wildcats 66 M. Peterson 19 M. Peterson 10 M. Cleaves 7 H. Evans, T. Prince 12 H. Evans 6 W. Turner 8 35–36 38–30 Trans World Dome St. Louis, MO 42,519 Jim Burr, Bob Donato, Reggie Greenwood CBS South Regional – Knoxville, Tennessee Regional semifinals Regional Finals 1 Indianapolis Indianapolis Orlando Orlando Auburn 80 16 Winthrop 41 8 Syracuse 61 9 Oklahoma State 69 5 UCLA 53 12 Detroit Mercy 56 4 Ohio State 72 13 Murray State 58 6 Indiana 108 11 George Washington 88 3 St. John's 69 14 Samford 43 7 Louisville 58 10 Creighton 62 2 Maryland 82 15 Valparaiso 60 1 Auburn 81 9 Oklahoma State 74 12 Detroit Mercy 44 4 Ohio State 75 6 Indiana 61 3 St. John's 86 10 Creighton 63 2 Maryland 75 1 Auburn 64 4 Ohio State 72 3 St. John's 76 2 Maryland 62 4 Ohio State 77 3 St. John's 74 Regional Final summary #e3e3e3 Saturday, March 20 box score #4 Ohio State Buckeyes 77 #3 St. John's Red Storm 74 S. Penn 22 S. Penn 8 S. Penn 8 L. Postell 24 L. Postell, R. Artest 9 E. Barkley 7 41–33 36–41 Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, TN 24,248 Dave Libbey, Gene Monje, Mark Whitehead CBS West Regional – Phoenix, Arizona Regional semifinals Regional Finals Denver Denver Seattle Seattle 1 Connecticut 91 16 UTSA 66 8 Missouri 59 9 New Mexico 61 5 Iowa 77 12 UAB 64 4 Arkansas 94 13 Siena 80 6 Florida 75 11 Pennsylvania 61 3 North Carolina 74 14 Weber State 76 7 Minnesota 63 10 Gonzaga 75 2 Stanford 69 15 Alcorn State 57 1 Connecticut 78 9 New Mexico 56 5 Iowa 82 4 Arkansas 72 6 Florida 82OT 14 Weber State 74 10 Gonzaga 82 2 Stanford 74 1 Connecticut 78 5 Iowa 68 6 Florida 72 10 Gonzaga 73 1 Connecticut 67 10 Gonzaga 62 Game summaries First Round #ffdead Thursday, March 11 10:15 pm #1 Connecticut Huskies 91 #16 UTSA Roadrunners 66 R. Hamilton 28 K. Freeman 8 K. El-Amin 10 S. Meyer 18 M. Powers 8 S. Meyer, J. Riley 3 52–27 39–39 McNichols Sports Arena Denver, CO 16,237 Mark Whitehead, Larry Lembo, Robert Staffen CBS Second Round #e3e3e3 Saturday, March 13 2:20 pm #1 Connecticut Huskies 78 #9 New Mexico Lobos 56 K. El-Amin, R. Hamilton 21 J. Voskuhl 9 E.J. Harrison 3 D. Walker 21 K. Thomas 11 J. Harrison II 6 37–22 41–34 McNichols Sports Arena Denver, CO 16,237 Frank Scagliotta, Gerald Boudreaux, Phil Bova CBS Regional Semifinals #ffdead Thursday, March 18 10:27 pm #1 Connecticut Huskies 78 #5 Iowa Hawkeyes 68 R. Hamilton 24 K. Freeman 6 K. El-Amin, R. Moore 5 J. R. Koch 14 J. Bauer, G. Rucker, J. Settles 6 J. Bauer, D. Oliver, J. Settles 2 40–35 38–33 America West Arena Phoenix, AZ 17,975 Jody Silvester, Frank Bosone, John Sweeney CBS Regional Final #e3e3e3 Saturday, March 20 3:40 pm box score #1 Connecticut Huskies 67 #10 Gonzaga Bulldogs 62 R. Hamilton 21 K. Freeman 15 K. El-Amin 4 Q. Hall 18 Q. Hall, C. Calvary 8 M. Santangelo, R. Floyd, R. Frahm 2 31–32 36–30 America West Arena Phoenix, AZ 18,053 Mike Patterson, Larry Rose, Bobby Hunt CBS Final Four St. Petersburg, Florida National semifinals National Championship Game E1 Duke 68 MW1 Michigan State 62 S4 Ohio State 58 W1 Connecticut 64 E1 Duke 74 W1 Connecticut 77 Ohio State vacated 34 games, including all NCAA Tournament wins from the 1998–99 season due to the Jim O’Brien scandal.http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2362496 OSU gets probation 2006-03-10 ESPN.com 2017-06-05https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/friv/forfeits.cgi Forfeits and Vacated Games Sports-Reference.com April 30, 2024 Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Ohio State removing the wins from its own record. Game summaries Final four #e3e3e3 Saturday, March 27 5:42 pm box score #W1 Connecticut Huskies 64 #S4 Ohio State Buckeyes 58 R. Hamilton 24 Ricky Moore 8 K. El-Amin 6 M. Redd 15 M. Redd 8 J. Singleton, S. Penn 4 36–35 28–23 Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 41,340 Jim Burr, Larry Rose, Mark Whitehead CBS #ffdead Saturday, March 27 8:00 pm box score #E1 Duke Blue Devils 68 #MW1 Michigan State Spartans 62 E. Brand 18 E. Brand 15 T. Langdon 3 M. Peterson 15 A. Smith 10 M. Cleaves 10 32–20 36–42 Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 41,340 Dave Libbey, Curtis Shaw, John Cahill CBS National Championship 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game #e3e3e3 Monday, March 29 9:18 pm Box score #1 Connecticut Huskies 77 #1 Duke Blue Devils 74 R. Hamilton 27 Ricky Moore, K. Freeman 8 K. El-Amin 4 T. Langdon 25 E. Brand 13 W. Avery 5 37–39 40–35 Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 41,340 Tim Higgins, Gerald Boudreaux, Scott Thornley CBS Media coverage Television CBS Sports Greg Gumbel served as the studio host, joined by analyst Clark Kellogg. Commentary teams Jim Nantz/Billy Packer/Bonnie Bernstein First & Second Round at New Orleans, Louisiana; Midwest Regional at St. Louis; Final Four at St. Petersburg, Florida Sean McDonough/Bill Raftery/Michele Tafoya First & Second Round at Indianapolis, Indiana; South Regional at Knoxville, Tennessee Verne Lundquist/Al McGuire/Armen Keteyian First & Second Round at Charlotte, North Carolina; East Regional at East Rutherford, New Jersey Gus Johnson/Dan Bonner/Barry Booker First & Second Round at Orlando, Florida; West Regional at Phoenix, Arizona Tim Brando/James Worthy/Beth Mowins First & Second Round at Milwaukee, Wisconsin Kevin Harlan/Jon Sundvold/Mike Harris First & Second Round at Seattle, Washington Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Mike Mayock First & Second Round at Denver, Colorado Craig Bolerjack/Rolando Blackman/Jimmy Dykes First & Second Round at Boston, Massachusetts 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 RutherfordSeedSchoolRadioPlay-by-playColor commentatorStudio host1 +Midwest Regional – St. LouisSeedSchoolRadioPlay-by-playColor commentatorStudio host1+South Regional – KnoxvilleSeedSchoolRadioPlay-by-playColor commentatorStudio host1+West Regional – PhoenixSeedSchoolRadioPlay-by-playColor commentatorStudio host1ConnecticutWTIC–AM 1080 (Connecticut)Joe D'AmbrosioWayne Norman Additional notes Despite their loss in the finals to Connecticut, the 1998–1999 Duke team won 37 games.Men's College Basketball 1998–1999 Chi Square Linear WL – SD http://www.phys.utk.edu/sorensen/cfr/cfr/CBM/1998/CBM_1998_Ranking_sCWS.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080828172244/http://www.phys.utk.edu/sorensen/cfr/cfr/CBM/1998/CBM_1998_Ranking_sCWS.html 2008-08-28 live 2009-04-06 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.http://www.goldsheet.com/gs_new/histcbb.php Gold Sheet College Basketball Log 29 March 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100410131625/http://www.goldsheet.com/gs_new/histcbb.php 10 April 2010 dead 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 See also 1999 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament 1999 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament 1999 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament 1999 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament 1999 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 1999 National Invitation Tournament 1999 Women's National Invitation Tournament 1999 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 1999 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa Category:Sports competitions in St. Petersburg, Florida NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Category:College basketball tournaments in Florida