# 1999–2000 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team

The 1999–2000 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1999–2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Larry Eustachy, who was in his 2nd season. They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa and competed in the Big 12 Conference. The captains were Stevie Johnson and Michael Nurse.
They finished the season 32–5, 14–2 in Big 12 play to win the regular season conference title. They defeated Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma to win the Big 12 Conference tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They defeated Central Connecticut, Auburn, and UCLA to reach the Elite Eight where they lost to Michigan State.

## Previous season

The previous season they finished the season 15–15, 6–10 in Big 12 play to finish in 9th place. They lost to Colorado in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament.

### Offseason departures

In the offseason associate head coach Steve Barnes left to become the Head Coach of the San Jose State Spartans.
In the spring of 1999 Rodney Hampton was arrested for disorderly conduct by the Ames Police. Shortly after head coach Larry Eustachy dismissed him for violating team rules.
While red-shirting the 1998–99 season Travis Spivey was arrested for simple assault in season and was suspended from the team, after the charges were dropped he was reinstated. Then later that year in the summer he was charged with sexual assault and was immediately dismissed from the team.
Shortly after graduation Tony Rampton would go on to represent his home country of New Zealand on their national team, the New Zealand Tall Blacks.
Offseason Departures :
| Name | Position | Reason |
| Travis Spivey | Guard | Dismissed from team |
| Lee Love | Guard | Quit the team |
| Anthony Lloyd | Guard | Quit the team |
| Paris Corner | Guard | Transferred to Wyoming |
| Rodney Hampton | Guard | Dismissed from the team |
| Lamar Gregg | Guard | Transferred out of the program |
| Klay Edwards | Forward | Graduated |
| Tony Rampton | Center | Graduated |
| Reference: |||

## Preseason

The preseason Big 12 Coaches' Poll picked Iowa State to finish sixth in the conference. Marcus Fizer was also named to the Preseason Top 50 by the Wooden Award Committee as well as Preseason All-Big 12 first team.

## Regular season

On November 23, 1999, Iowa State didn't receive any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll. They also were ranked T–47th in the AP Top 25 poll with 2 points. From November 26–28 the Cyclones participated in the Big Island Invitational at Hilo Hawai'i. From December 3–4 the Cyclones hosted the Norwest Cyclone Challenge. From December 21–22 the Cyclones hosted the Tribune Holiday Classic. On December 14, 1999, Iowa State didn't receive any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll. They also were ranked T–47th in the AP Top 25 poll with 1 point. On December 21, 1999, Iowa State didn't receive any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll. They also were ranked T–46th in the AP Top 25 poll with 1 point. On December 28, 1999, Iowa State didn't receive any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll. They also were ranked T–39th in the AP Top 25 poll with 6 points. On January 4, 2000, Iowa State didn't receive any votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll. They also were ranked T–39th in the AP Top 25 poll with 6 points. On January 11, 2000, Iowa State received 1 point in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked T–47th. They also were ranked 30th in the AP Top 25 poll with 26 points. On January 18, 2000, Iowa State received 6 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked T–39th. They also were ranked 29th in the AP Top 25 poll with 56 points. On January 25, 2000, Iowa State received 20 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 29th. They also were ranked 28th in the AP Top 25 poll with 49 points. On February 1, 2000, Iowa State received 76 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 24th. They also were ranked 20th in the AP Top 25 poll with 331 points. On February 8, 2000, Iowa State received 115 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 21st. They also were ranked 17th in the AP Top 25 poll with 519 points. On February 15, 2000, Iowa State received 277 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 17th. They also were ranked 14th in the AP Top 25 poll with 811 points. On February 22, 2000, Iowa State received 229 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 18th. They also were ranked 17th in the AP Top 25 poll with 662 points. On February 29, 2000, Iowa State received 353 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 14th. They also were ranked 10th in the AP Top 25 poll with 1,045 points. The time of the March 4, 2000 Baylor game was changed from 7:00 p.m. CST to 6:00 p.m. CST. On March 4, 2000, Iowa State clinched their first conference title since 1945 with a 75–54 win over Baylor. On March 7, 2000, Iowa State received 478 points in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 9th. They also were ranked 7th in the AP Top 25 poll with 1,272 points. On March 14, 2000, Iowa State was ranked 6th in the AP Top 25 poll with 1,441 points.

## Post-season

Jamaal Tinsley and Marcus Fizer were each named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament team. Head coach Larry Eustachy was also named the Big 12 Coach of the Year and the AP National Coach of the Year. Eustachy also received the Henry Iba Award. Marcus Fizer was named an All-American. Fizer and Tinsley were also named to the Big 12 First Team. Fizer and Tinsley also won the Ralph A. Olsen Award. On March 13, 2000, Iowa State announced that head coach Larry Eustachy had signed a 10-year contract extension. On March 30, 2000, Jamaal Tinsley announced he had elected to stay at Iowa State for his senior season. On March 31, 2000, Larry Eustachy was voted the AP National Coach of the Year. On April 4, 2000, Iowa State received 657 points in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches poll which had them ranked 3rd. On April 13, 2000, Larry Eustachy and Marcus Fizer announced that Fizer would forgo his senior season and has signed with an agent.

## Statistics

* Minutes: Michael Nurse 1305
* MPG: Michael Nurse 35.3
* Points: Marcus Fizer 844
* PPG: Marcus Fizer 22.8
* Rebounds: Marcus Fizer 285
* RPG: Marcus Fizer 7.7
* Field Goals: Marcus Fizer 327
* FG%: Stevie Johnson .663
* 3FG: Michael Nurse 99
* 3FG%: Michael Nurse .423
* Assists: Jamaal Tinsley 244
* APG: Jamaal Tinsley 6.6
* Blocks: Marcus Fizer 39
* BPG: Marcus Fizer 1.1
* Steals: Jamaal Tinsley 67
* SPG: Jamaal Tinsley 2.6
* Free Throws: Marcus Fizer 175
* FT%: Kantrail Horton .780

## Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; SPG= Steals per Game; RPG = Rebounds per Game; APG. = Assists per Game; BPG = Blocks per Game; PPG = Points per Game
| Player | GP | MPG | SPG | RPG | APG | BPG | PPG |
| Kyle Brumm | 6 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Brad Davis | 10 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| Richard Evans | 27 | 6.4 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Marcus Fizer | 37 | 33.6 | 0.8 | 7.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 22.8 |
| Justin Fries | 8 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 |
| Brandon Hawkins | 37 | 12.7 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| Kantrail Horton | 35 | 34.8 | 0.9 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 8.7 |
| Stevie Johnson | 35 | 25.3 | 1.0 | 6.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 9.1 |
| Brandon Nicol | 8 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Michael Nurse | 37 | 35.3 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 12.5 |
| Martin Rančík | 22 | 15.0 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 5.5 |
| Paul Shirley | 29 | 17.6 | 0.3 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 7.7 |
| Jamaal Tinsley | 37 | 32.8 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 1.0 | 11.0 |
| Clint Varley | 10 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Thomas Watkins | 7 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.6 |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 10, 1999 7:00 p.m. | | Global Sports | W 87-76 | | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 15, 1999* 7:00 p.m. | | Simon Fraser | W 79–54 | 1–0 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| November 19, 1999* 7:05 p.m., Drake TV | | at Drake | L 44–48 | 1–1 | Knapp Center Des Moines, Iowa |
| November 26, 1999* 11:30 p.m. | | at Hawaii-Hilo Big Island Invitational | W 108–72 | 2–1 | Afook-Chinen Auditorium Hilo, HI |
| November 27, 1999* 9:00 p.m. | | vs. Arkansas Big Island Invitational | W 77–71 | 3–1 | Afook-Chinen Auditorium Hilo, HI |
| November 28, 1999* 8:00 p.m. | | vs. No. 1 Cincinnati Big Island Invitational | L 60–75 | 3–2 | Afook-Chinen Auditorium Hilo, HI |
| December 3, 1999* 8:00 p.m., CTN | | Mississippi Valley State Norwest Cyclone Challenge | W 106–64 | 4–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 4, 1999* 8:00 p.m., CTN | | Sam Houston State Norwest Cyclone Challenge | W 84–69 | 5–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 8, 1999* 7:00 p.m. | | Milwaukee | W 78–64 | 6–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 11, 1999* 8:00 p.m., CTN | | Iowa Big Four Classic | W 79–66 | 7–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 19, 1999* 6:00 p.m., CTN | | Northern Iowa Big Four Classic | W 73–41 | 8–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 21, 1999* 8:00 p.m., CTN | | Idaho State The Tribune Holiday Classic | W 89–49 | 9–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 22, 1999* 8:00 p.m., CTN | | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi The Tribune Holiday Classic | W 86–64 | 10–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| December 28, 1999* 7:00 p.m. | | Maryland Eastern Shore | W 81–52 | 11–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| January 2, 2000* 6:00 p.m. | | Arkansas State | W 84–53 | 12–2 | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| January 8, 2000 4:00 p.m., ESPN | | Missouri | W 86–81 | 13–2 (1–0) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| January 12, 2000 7:05 p.m. | | at Nebraska | W 66–65 | 14–2 (2–0) | Bob Devaney Center Lincoln, Nebraska |
| January 16, 2000 1:00 p.m., ESPN Plus | | Colorado | W 86–72 | 15–2 (3–0) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| January 19, 2000 8:00 p.m., ESPN Plus | | at Kansas State | W 72–61 | 16–2 (4–0) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| January 22, 2000 3:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | | at No. 17 Oklahoma | L 75–80 $^{2OT}$ | 16–3 (4–1) | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma |
| January 26, 2000 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/CTN | | Texas A&M | W 65–58 | 17–3 (5–1) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| January 29, 2000 3:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | | No. 12 Kansas | W 74–66 | 18–3 (6–1) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| February 2, 2000 7:00 p.m., CTN | No. 20 | Kansas State | W 85–67 | 19–3 (7–1) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| February 9, 2000 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/CTN | No. 17 | at Missouri | W 72–62 | 20–3 (8–1) | Hearnes Center Columbia, Missouri |
| February 12, 2000 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/CTN | No. 17 | Nebraska | W 87–65 | 21–3 (9–1) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| February 16, 2000 8:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | No. 14 | at No. 24 Kansas | W 64–62 | 22–3 (10–1) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas |
| February 19, 2000 3:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | No. 14 | at Colorado | L 90–102 $^{OT}$ | 22–4 (10–2) | Coors Events Center Boulder, Colorado |
| February 24, 2000 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/CTN | No. 17 | No. 14 Texas | W 89–77 | 23–4 (11–2) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| February 26, 2000 3:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | No. 17 | No. 10 Oklahoma State | W 72–61 | 24–4 (12–2) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| March 1, 2000 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/CTN | No. 10 | at Texas Tech | W 87–79 | 25–4 (13–2) | United Supermarkets Arena Lubbock, Texas |
| March 4, 2000 6:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/CTN | No. 10 | at Baylor | W 75–54 | 26–4 (14–2) | Ferrell Center Waco, Texas |
| Big 12 Tournament ||||||
| March 10, 2000 12:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | No. 7 | vs. Baylor Quarterfinals | W 76–64 | 27–4 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| March 11, 2000 1:00 p.m., ESPN Plus/Big 12 | No. 7 | vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State Semifinals | W 68–64 | 28–4 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| March 12, 2000 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | vs. No. 15 Oklahoma Championship | W 70–58 | 29–4 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| March 16, 2000 1:55 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (15 MW) Central Connecticut First round | W 88–78 | 30–4 | Hubert Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis |
| March 18, 2000 4:38 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (7 MW) No. 24 Auburn Second round | W 79–60 | 31–4 | Hubert Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis |
| March 23, 2000 8:55 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (6 MW) UCLA Midwest Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 80–56 | 32–4 | The Palace at Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, Michigan |
| March 25, 2000 6:00 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (1 MW) No. 2 Michigan State Midwest Regional Final – Elite Eight | L 64–75 | 32–5 | The Palace at Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, Michigan |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Central Time. ||||||

## Rankings

The Cyclones finished the season ranked 3rd in the Coaches Poll, this is the highest final ranking in school history.
Ranking Movement Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. rv=Others receiving votes. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Final |
| AP | NR | NR | RV | NR | NR | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 20 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 6 | – |
| Coaches | | – | NR | | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 9 | – | 3 |