In his second year as head coach, Jerry Green led the Tennessee Volunteers to win the 1999 SEC East Division championship and a 21-9 overall record, finishing first in the SEC MBB East with a 12-4 conference record. The team was ranked 20th in the final AP Poll. It was a successful year for the Volunteers, who defeated Kentucky twice in the same season for the first time since 1979. This year is generally considered the best overall year in school athletics history.
In terms of statistics, the team averaged 72.6 points per game, ranking 96th out of 311 teams, while allowing only 65.0 points per game, ranking 64th out of 311 teams. The team's Simple Rating System (SRS) was 14.18, which ranked 26th out of 310 teams, while their Strength of Schedule (SOS) was 6.55, ranking 57th out of 310 teams. The team's offensive rating (ORtg) was 101.6, ranking 115th out of 304 teams, while their defensive rating (DRtg) was 90.9, ranking 24th out of 304 teams.
In the NCAA tournament, the Volunteers were seeded 4th in the East region. They won their first-round game against 13th-seeded Delaware with a score of 62-52, but were eliminated in the second round by 12th-seeded Missouri State with a score of 81-51.