1998 – 99 Michigan State Spartans men 's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1998 – 99 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season . The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing , Michigan and were coached by fourth-year head coach , Tom Izzo . The Spartans finished the season 33 – 5 , 15 – 1 to win the Big Ten regular season championship . MSU defeated Northwestern , Wisconsin , and Illinois to win the Big Ten Tournament and receive the conference 's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament . As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region , they defeated Mount Saint Mary 's and Ole Miss to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen . In the Sweet Sixteen they defeated Oklahoma to advance to the school 's first Elite Eight since 1979 . In the Elite Eight , they defeated Kentucky to earn a trip to the Final Four for the first time since 1979 . There they lost No. 1-ranked Duke . The 33 wins marked a school record for wins in a season
Big Ten Tournament
1999 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
1998–99 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team