Braswell took the program to even further heights, going 20–10 in the 1999–2000 season, and finally breaking through with a 22–10 season that saw the Matadors win the Big Sky regular season and tournament championships and make their first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. This team was led by Honorable Mention All-American Brian Heinle, who is the school's all-time scoring leader with 1641 points, and Markus Carr, who led the nation in assists that year and holds the school record with 767 for his career.