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. Season headlines The preseason AP All-American team was named on November 10. Richard Hamilton of Connecticut was the leading vote-getter (66 of 72 votes). The rest of the team included Mateen Cleaves of Michigan State (58 votes), Elton Brand of Duke (55), Lee Nailon of TCU (50) and Andre Miller of Utah (44). 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. Statistical leaders Award winners Consensus All-American teams Major player of the year awards Wooden Award: Elton Brand, Duke Naismith Award: Elton Brand, Duke Associated Press Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Duke NABC Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Duke Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Elton Brand, Duke Adolph Rupp Trophy: Elton Brand, Duke Sporting News Player of the Year: Elton Brand, Duke Major freshman of the year awards USBWA Freshman of the Year: Quentin Richardson, DePaul Sporting News Freshman of the Year: Quentin Richardson, DePaul Major coach of the year awards Associated Press Coach of the Year: Cliff Ellis, Auburn Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Cliff Ellis, Auburn NABC Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke & Jim O'Brien, Ohio State Naismith College Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Cliff Ellis, Auburn Sporting News Coach of the Year: Cliff