1999 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game

The 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1998-99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 1999 National Title Game was played on March 29, 1999, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, The 1999 National Title Game was played between the 1999 East Regional Champions, #1-seeded Duke and the 1999 West Regional Champions, #1-seeded Connecticut.

1999 NCAA Tournament Championship Game
National Championship Game
12 Total
Connecticut 3740 77
Duke 3935 74
DateMarch 29, 1999
ArenaTropicana Field
LocationSt. Petersburg, Florida
MVPRichard Hamilton, Connecticut
FavoriteDuke by 9.5
Referee(s)Tim Higgins, Gerald Boudreaux, Scott Thornley
Attendance41,340
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersJim Nantz (play-by-play)
Billy Packer (color)
Bonnie Bernstein and Armen Keteyian (sideline)

Participants

Connecticut

  • West Regional
    • Connecticut (1) 91, UTSA 66
    • Connecticut 78, New Mexico 56
    • Connecticut 78, Iowa 68
    • Connecticut 67, Gonzaga 62
  • Final Four
    • Connecticut 64, Ohio State 58

[1]

Duke

Seeding in brackets

  • East
    • Duke (1) 99, Florida A&M (16) 58
    • Duke 97, Tulsa (9) 56
    • Duke 78, Missouri State (12) 61
    • Duke 85, Temple (6) 64
  • Final Four
    • Duke 68, Michigan State 62

[2]

Game summary

CBS
March 29
9:00 pm
#1 Connecticut Huskies 77, #1 Duke Blue Devils 74
Pts: R. Hamilton 27
Rebs: Ricky Moore, K. Freeman 8
Asts: K. El-Amin 4
Pts: T. Langdon 25
Rebs: E. Brand 13
Asts: W. Avery 5
Halftime Score: Duke, 39-37
Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, FL
Attendance: 41,340
Referees: Tim Higgins, Gerald Boudreaux, Scott Thornley

Game notes

  • In the national championship game, Connecticut defeated Duke 77-74 to win their first ever 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 2011-2012 and in 2014-2015 (The 2007-08 Memphis team actually broke this record first, but the team was later forced to forfeit their entire season due to eligibility issues surrounding the team).[3]
  • The 1999 National Championship game 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.
  • Connecticut was a 9.5 point underdog in this game, and is the biggest point spread underdog to ever win the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game.

References

  1. "1999 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Databasesports.com. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  2. http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1999
  3. "Gold Sheet College Basketball Log". Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
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