The 1999-00 men's basketball team is the best basketball team to wear the Green and Gold to date. The Lions finished the season 30-3 under Hall of Fame Head Coach Robert Corn and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four, falling to eventual National Champion Metro State. The team also featured future NCAA Division I Head Coaches in Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois – Carbondale) and Paul Lusk (Missouri State) as Corn's assistants. Two members of the team, Eddin Santiago and Terry Shumpert, are already in the Hall of Fame as individuals.

The Lions started the season with nine-straight wins, before losing on the road at Washburn. Fifteen-straight wins followed that setback before a regular-season loss against Northwest Missouri. The Lions then swept through the MIAA Tournament and the NCAA South Central Region Tournament, both of which were hosted at the brand-new Leggett & 9185
1999-00 MBB Team
Platt Athletic Center.

Southern drew No. 1 ranked Florida Southern in the opening round of the NCAA Elite Eight where the Lions would shoot 42 percent from the field and 44 percent from long-range en-route to a 76-65 win over the Mocs. In what many called the "actual" National Championship, the Lions fell in a heartbreaking thriller to Metro State 75-74 in the Final Four. The team is all over the MSSU record books as three on the squad (Terry Shumpert, Eddin Santiago and Carlos Escalera) were all 1,000-point scorers and are in the top-20 of the all-time scoring list. Santiago is the all-time leader in assists and steals, while the team holds records for most wins (30), fewest losses (3), win-loss percentage (.909), home wins (18), consecutive wins (15) and consecutive home wins (18). The Lions were also just one of three MSSU teams to ever finish the regular season undefeated at home.

Members of the 1999-00 men's basketball team roster included:
Adam Babcock
Blake Bard
Pieterbas DeWildt
Carlos Escalera
Leo Gomes
Brad Mann
Carlos Newberry
David Ragland
Osiris Ricardo
Eddin Santiago
Terry Shumpert