1998–99 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team explained

Mode:	Basketball
Year:	1998–99
Team:	Connecticut Huskies
Short Conf:	Big East
Coachrank:	1
Aprank:	3
Record:	34–2
Conf Record:	16–2
Hc Year:	13th
Champion:	NCAA tournament National Champions Big East tournament champions Big East regular season champions
Bowl Result:	W 77-74 vs. Duke

The 1998–1999 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 1998–1999 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Jim Calhoun, the Huskies played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, and were a member of the Big East Conference. They won their fourth Big East tournament. On March 29, 1999, they claimed their first national championship by defeating Duke 77–74.

Roster

Listed are the student athletes who were members of the 1998–1999 team.^[1]

Name	Position	Year
	G	SO
Kevin Freeman	F	JR
Richard Hamilton	G/F	JR
	G	SR
Rashamel Jones	G/F	SR
Antric Klaiber	F/C	SR
	G	SR
	G	SO
Edmund Saunders	F	SO
Ed Tonella	G	JR
	C	JR
	C/F	JR
Richard Moore	G	FR

Schedule

|-!colspan=12 style=""| Regular Season|-!colspan=12 style=""| Big East tournament|-!colspan=12 style=""| NCAA tournamentSchedule Source:^{[2] [3]}

Game officials

Non-conference Regular season

Game	Date	Rank	Opponent	Opp Rank	Officials
1		2/#2	Quinnipiac	NR/NR	Tom Lopes, Jim Luchansky, Joe Vagna
2		2/#2	Richmond	NR/NR	Jim Burr, Jim Haney, Michael Kitts
3		2/#2	Hartford	NR/NR	John Cahill, Joe Adams, Bernard Clinton
4		2/#2	Wagner	NR/NR	Tim Higgins, Joel Plunkett, Joe Mingle

Big East Conference Regular season

Game	Date	Rank	Opponent	Opp Rank	Officials
10		1/#1	Villanova	NR/NR	Jody Sylvester, John Clougherty, Jeff Plunkett
11		1/#1	Georgetown	NR/NR	Ted Valentine, Michael Kitts, Tom Lopes
12		1/#1	@ Boston College	NR/NR	Jim Burr, Will Bush, John Hughes
13		1/#1	@ West Virginia	NR/NR	Tim Higgins, Ed Corbett, Mike Brophy
14		1/#1	Notre Dame	NR/NR	John Cahill, Frank Scagliotta, Curtis Shaw
15		1/#1	Pittsburgh	NR/NR	Jim Burr, Bob Donato, Tony Greene
16		1/#1	@ Miami (FL)	25/NR	Will Bush, Michael Kitts, Curtis Shaw
17		1/#1	Seton Hall	NR/NR	Jody Sylvester, Pat Driscoll, Donnee Gray
18		1/#1	@ Georgetown	NR/NR	Jim Burr, Frank Scagliotta, John Cahill
19		1/#1	@ St. John's	9/#10	Tim Higgins, Michael Kitts, Will Bush
20		1/#1	Syracuse	16/#16	Jim Burr, Bob Donato, John Clougherty

Big East Conference Regular season

Game	Date	Rank	Opponent	Opp Rank	Officials
22		2/#2	Boston College	NR/NR	Bob Donato, Jody Sylvester, Tim Hutchinson
23		2/#2	@ Seton Hall	NR/NR	Rusty Herring, Ed Corbett, Jeff Plunkett
24		2/#2	Rutgers	NR/NR	Tim Higgins, Tony Greene, Curtis Shaw
25		2/#2	Miami (FL)	15/#16	John Cahill, Tom Lopes, Gene Monje
26		4/#4	@ Providence	NR/NR	Jim Burr, Frank Scagliotta, Ted Hillary
27		4/#4	@ Syracuse	24/#20	Tim Higgins, Donnee Gray, John Clougherty

AT&T Big East men's basketball tournament

Game	Round	Date	Seed	Rank	Opponent	Opp Seed	Opp Rank	Officials
28	Quarterfinals		(BE #1)	3/#3	Seton Hall	(BE #9)	NR/NR	John Cahill, Curtis Shaw, Donnee Gray
29	Semifinals		(BE #1)	3/#3	Syracuse	(BE #4)	NR/#20	Tim Higgins, Jody Sylvester, Ed Corbett
30	Championship Game		(BE #1)	3/#3	St. John's	(BE #3)	10/#9	Jim Burr, John Cahill, Bob Donato

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Game	Round	Date	Seed	Rank	Opponent	Opp Seed	Opp Rank	Officials
31	First Round		(W #1)	3/#3	Texas–San Antonio	(W #16)	NR/NR	Mark Whitehead, Larry Lembo, Robert Staffen
32	Second Round		(W #1)	3/#3	New Mexico	(W #9)	25/#24	Frank Scagliotta, Gerald Boudreaux, Phil Bova
33	Sweet Sixteen		(W #1)	3/#3	Iowa	(W #5)	21/#20	Jody Sylvester, Frank Bosone, John Sweeney
34	Elite Eight		(W #1)	3/#3	Gonzaga	(W #10)	NR/NR	Andre Pattillo, Larry Rose, Bobby Hunt
35	Final Four		(W #1)	3/#3	Ohio State	(S #4)	14/#14	Jim Burr, Larry Rose, Mark Whitehead
36	National Championship		(W #1)	3/#3	Duke	(E #1)	1/#1	Tim Higgins, Gerald Boudreaux, Scott Thornley

Awards and honors

• Richard Hamilton, NCAA Men's MOP Award^[4]

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
1999^[5]	1	7		Washington Wizards
2000^[6]	2	33		Chicago Bulls
2000	2	34		Chicago Bulls

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1998-99 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. 1 April 2019.
2. Book: 2015-16 Connecticut Basketball History. UConn Huskies. 10 March 2016. 22 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222104823/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/conn/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/1516MediaGuide.pdf. dead.
3. Web site: Connecticut Men's Basketball Archive Schedule. UConn Huskies. 10 March 2016. 11 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160311071934/http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/conn-m-baskbl-sched-1998.html. dead.
4. Web site: Final Four Most Outstanding Players . cbs.sportsline.com . 31 March 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080907123518/http://sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/history/outstandingplayer . 7 September 2008 .
5. Web site: 1999 NBA Draft on . Databasebasketball.com . 2013-08-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522063451/http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1999&lg=n . 2013-05-22 .
6. Web site: 2000 NBA Draft on . Databasebasketball.com . 2013-08-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130613203926/http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=n&yr=2000 . 2013-06-13 .