1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season concluded in the 64-team 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament whose finals were held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Connecticut Huskies earned their first national championship by defeating the Duke Blue Devils 77–74 on March 29, 1999. They were coached by Jim Calhoun and the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player was Richard Hamilton.
In the 32-team 1999 National Invitation Tournament, the defeated the Clemson Tigers at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Following the season, the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American Consensus First team included Elton Brand, Mateen Cleaves, Richard Hamilton, Andre Miller and Jason Terry. The consensus second team was composed of Evan Eschmeyer, Steve Francis, Trajan Langdon, Chris Porter and Wally Szczerbiak.
Season headlines
- The preseason AP All-American team was named on November 10. Richard Hamilton of Connecticut was the leading vote-getter. The rest of the team included Mateen Cleaves of Michigan State, Elton Brand of Duke, Lee Nailon of TCU and Andre Miller of Utah.
Conference membership changes
| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Buffalo | Mid-Continent Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| College of Charleston | Trans America Athletic Conference | Southern Conference |
| Denver | NCAA Division II | NCAA Division I Independent |
| FIU | Trans America Athletic Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| IUPUI | NCAA Division II | Mid-Continent Conference |
| Jacksonville | Sun Belt Conference | Trans America Athletic Conference |
| Lamar | Sun Belt Conference | Southland Conference |
| Northeastern Illinois | Mid-Continent Conference | Dropped Athletics |
| Oakland | NCAA Division II | Mid-Continent Conference |
| Quinnipiac | NCAA Division II | Northeast Conference |
| Texas-Pan American | Sun Belt Conference | NCAA Division I Independent |
| UMBC | Big South Conference | Northeast Conference |
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 25 from the AP Poll November 6, 1998 and the ESPN/USA Today Poll November 5, 1998.Regular season
Early-season tournaments
Conference winners and tournaments
28 conference seasons concluded with a single-elimination tournament, with only the Ivy League and the Pac-10 choosing not to conduct conference tournaments. Conference tournament winners generally received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.Statistical leaders
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
Major player of the year awards
- Wooden Award: Elton Brand, Duke
- Naismith Award: Elton Brand, Duke
- Associated Press Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Duke
- NABC Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Duke
- Oscar Robertson Trophy : Elton Brand, Duke
- Adolph Rupp Trophy: Elton Brand, Duke
- Sporting News Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Duke
Major freshman of the year awards
- USBWA Freshman of the Year: Quentin Richardson, DePaul
- Sporting News Freshman of the Year: Quentin Richardson, DePaul
Major coach of the year awards
- Associated Press Coach of the Year: Cliff Ellis, Auburn
- Henry Iba Award : Cliff Ellis, Auburn
- NABC Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke & Jim O'Brien, Ohio State
- Naismith College Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
- CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Cliff Ellis, Auburn
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: Cliff Ellis, Auburn
Other major awards
- NABC Defensive Player of the Year: Shane Battier, Duke
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award : Shawnta Rogers, George Washington
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy : Pepe Sánchez, Temple
- NIT/Haggerty Award : Ron Artest, St. John's