# 1998–99 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 1998–99 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 1998–99 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by head coach Billy Donovan, and played their home games in the O'Connell Center on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was the first strong team for Coach Donovan at Florida. The Gators made the Sweet Sixteen, before being upset by Gonzaga. At the end of that game, Florida guard Kenyan Weaks was called for a controversial traveling violation.
Senior captains were guard Eddie Shannon and forward Greg Stolt. The team featured freshmen Mike Miller, Teddy Dupay, and Udonis Haslem.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 16, 1998* | | Georgia Southern | W 76–62 | 1–0 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Nov 20, 1998* | | at Florida State | W 82–66 | 2–0 | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, Florida |
| Nov 23, 1998* | | Bethune-Cookman | W 91–61 | 3–0 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Nov 30, 1998* | | Coastal Carolina | W 110–68 | 4–0 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Dec 5, 1998* | | Charleston Southern | W 80–67 | 5–0 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Dec 9, 1998* | | at No. 3 Duke | L 86–116 | 5–1 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina |
| Dec 12, 1998* | | Jacksonville | W 79–72 | 6–1 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Dec 20, 1998* | | Long Island University | W 119–61 | 7–1 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Dec 22, 1998* | | Morehead State | W 117–70 | 8–1 | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Dec 27, 1998* | | vs. Michigan | W 79–63 | 9–1 | |
| Jan 2, 1999 | | at No. 7 Kentucky | L 58–93 | 9–2 (0–1) | Rupp Arena Lexington, Kentucky |
| Jan 6, 1999 | | Vanderbilt | W 90–59 | 10–2 (1–1) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Jan 10, 1999 | | Georgia | W 72–62 | 11–2 (2–1) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Jan 13, 1999 | | at South Carolina | W 68–51 | 12–2 (3–1) | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, South Carolina |
| Jan 16, 1999 | | at No. 8 Auburn | L 69–88 | 12–3 (3–2) | Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Auburn, Alabama |
| Jan 20, 1999 | | at LSU | W 77–58 | 13–3 (4–2) | Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Jan 23, 1999 | | Tennessee | W 93–72 | 14–3 (5–2) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Jan 27, 1999 | No. 25 | Alabama | W 72–68 | 15–3 (6–2) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Jan 30, 1999 | No. 25 | at Mississippi State | L 63–66 | 15–4 (6–3) | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, Mississippi |
| Feb 4, 1999 | | No. 5 Kentucky | W 75–68 | 16–4 (7–3) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Feb 6, 1999 | | Ole Miss | L 68–79 | 16–5 (7–4) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Feb 10, 1999 | No. 23 | at Tennessee | L 56–91 | 16–6 (7–5) | Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Feb 13, 1999 | No. 23 | at Georgia | W 75–64 | 17–6 (8–5) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, Georgia |
| Feb 16, 1999 | No. 23 | Arkansas | W 74–61 | 18–6 (9–5) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Feb 24, 1999 | No. 19 | South Carolina | W 89–61 | 19–6 (10–5) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida |
| Feb 27, 1999 | No. 19 | at Vanderbilt | L 70–71 $^{OT}$ | 19–7 (10–6) | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee |
| SEC Tournament ||||||
| Mar 4, 1999* | No. 21 | vs. LSU Quarterfinal | W 97–75 | 20–7 | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia |
| Mar 5, 1999* | No. 21 | vs. No. 22 Arkansas Semifinal | L 74–75 | 20–8 | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 11, 1999* 7:55 pm, CBS | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (11 W) Penn First round | W 75–61 | 21–8 | KeyArena Seattle, Washington |
| Mar 13, 1999* 6:56 pm, CBS | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (14 W) Weber State Second Round | W 82–74 $^{OT}$ | 22–8 | KeyArena Seattle, Washington |
| Mar 18, 1999* 7:55 pm, CBS | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (10 W) Gonzaga West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | L 72–73 | 22–9 | US Airways Center Phoenix, Arizona |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern. ||||||