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. Conference membership changes. These schools joined new conferences for the 1998–99 season. 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. 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. Award winners. Consensus All-American teams. Coaching changes. A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.