Indians went dancing in 2000

Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball finally hit the hallowed ground of the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time during the 1999-2000 season.

The Indians -- who moved up to Division I in 1991 -- almost made it to the NCAA Tournament in the 1998-99 campaign, but Murray State hit a shot at the buzzer to stun Southeast in the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

But in 1999-2000 -- coach Gary Garner's third season at Southeast -- the Indians could not be stopped. They tied for the OVC regular-season title and then defeated Murray State in the OVC Tournament final to earn an automatic bid to the "Big Dance."

The Indians proved to be more than simply a sacrificial lamb for powerful Louisiana State, ranked 10th in the country.

Seeded 13th, the Indians hung with the fourth-seeded Tigers and, despite trailing 24-19 during a poor-shooting first half, found themselves ahead 61-58 with less than three minutes remaining. But LSU hit two straight 3-pointers, including one with 18 seconds left, to slip past Southeast 64-61.

It was an unprecedented season for the Indians, who finished with a 24-7 record.