Connecticut 56 - 55 Kentucky (Final) (NCAA Tournament)

If Kentucky had played this game when I was 12 -- or when I was 25 -- or even when I was 33 -- I would be devastated right now. In many ways, they looked like the better team. They made 9 threes to only 1 for UConn. They defended Kemba Walker -- and the whole UConn team -- better than anyone has been able to do in the post-season. They basically lost this game for two reasons: they came out really cold and couldn't do anything offensively in the first half, and they made only 4 out of 12 free throws. Losing a game on free throws is one of the most painful of all ways to lose, and I know that in Kentucky -- where people take free throws very seriously -- there is a lot of pain right now.

But I just can't feel too much anger over this game. In the first place, I honestly believe that UConn has a better team than Kentucky. Kemba Walker is just a better player than anyone on our team, and UConn's length forced us into shooting jump shots. I thought we were very lucky that UConn didn't shoot the ball better themselves. Also, UConn responded to every single run Kentucky made, and were consistently able to find good looks and easy shots when they really needed them.

In the second place, I don't have any serious problems with how UK approached the game. Kentucky was 9-27 from three-point range, and it will be tempting to criticize them for not working the ball inside more -- especially on the last possession when they were down 54-52. But UK was only 12-35 on two-point shots; UConn's big guys completely stymied UK on the inside. Harrellson had only 6 points and 4 rebounds. So I can understand why Knight took 23 shots, even though he made only six of them. Throughout this run, Liggins, Miller, and Harrellson have been playing very well and the freshmen haven't had to do as much. But today, UConn took the upperclassmen much more seriously, and Liggins, Miller and Harrellson went a combined 5-19 from the field. So the freshmen had to step up, and Knight (17 pts), Jones (11 pts, 15 rebounds), and Lamb (13 pts) almost pulled it out.

In the third place, I don't get as upset about free throws as I used to. Unless you are a truly great free throw shooter -- and we don't have many of those -- there is a lot of randomness in free throws. Jones was 0-5 from the line tonight, but Jones has made a lot of big free throws all year, and I personally thought all five of those free throws were going in. In every tournament, luck will play a factor. We had a lot of good luck in the earlier rounds, so it's not surprising we had some bad luck tonight.

In the fourth place, the final play doesn't bother me either. I wanted UK to shoot a three for the win, because I didn't think we could win in OT. UConn did a great job on Knight and Lamb, and Liggins had just made a big three less than a minute or so before. Plus, of course, he made the big shot at the end of the UNC game. So I didn't mind him taking that shot, and for the whole time it was in the air, I thought we were going to win the game.

In the fifth place, this is how college basketball works. Over 300 teams start the season, and only one team doesn't get eliminated at some point. We won so many close games down the stretch that it was tempting to think it was our year. But if you keep playing close games, the odds are that eventually things will break against you.

But finally, and most importantly, I just refuse to be angry at this team. I was so upset with them earlier in the year, and now I must humbly admit that I was wrong. This was a brave, smart, hard-working team -- one of the smartest teams we've ever had -- and I am proud to have rooted for them. They have taught me valuable lessons about tenacity, toughness, and determination, and I will always remember them fondly. When I think about supremely talented players who sublimate their individual game for the good of the team, I will remember Terrence Jones. When I think about someone hitting huge shots down the stretch, I will remember Brandon Knight. When I think about a great shooter who isn't intimidated by pressure, I will remember Doron Lamb. When I think about a Kentuckian who had to overcome his own fears to become a true warrior, I will remember Darius Miller. When I think about someone with a bad attitude who turned into a great teammate, I will remember DeAndre Liggins. And when I think about someone who used every single bit of his abilities, and who really symbolized the spirit of UK basketball, I will remember Josh Harrellson.

Kentucky is the sixth and final team from the Commonwealth to be eliminated in the battle for the NCAA championship. The Wildcats finish the 2010-11 season with a record of 29-9 overall and 10-6 in the SEC. They were 0-2 against UConn, 2-6 in SEC road games, and 27-1 in all other games. They now have 2,052 wins, and maintain their spot as the nation's all-time winningest program. They came in second place in the Maui Invitational and second place in the SEC East. They were the SEC Tournament champions for the second straight year. And they went to the Final Four for the first time in 13 years. They will get to put up a big banner in Rupp Arena, and "2011" will be remembered as a magical season for decades to come.

I started watching Kentucky when I was 9 years old, and now I am 45. I get older and older, but the players always stay the same age. When you get to the end of a season like this one, and you realize how much time and energy you spend on these games, you can't help but wonder whether it is worth it. But I am proud to be a Kentucky fan. There isn't enough pageantry, honor, glory, loyalty, and teamwork in our society. Men were meant for something greater than simply drawing a paycheck, paying bills, and going shopping. We were meant to love, to hate evil, to live with dignity and passion and joy. When I watch college basketball, I leave behind the drudgery and immorality of our too-gray world, and join an invisible community of Kentuckians -- a community not limited by space (for we are scattered around the world) or even time (for many of our members have already passed on) -- on what Coach Rupp ably described as the "glory road." What hobby could offer more?

Right now, of course, I am very, very tired of basketball. My emotions are raw and frayed, and I don't want to feel so much for awhile. But spring is coming. Soon the lilacs and dogwoods will be in bloom. Soon the pop of the Whiffle bat and the click of the driving range will be heard in the land. Soon my big oak trees will again have leaves, and I will sit in my hammock, enjoying the shade and soaking in the beauties of May in Northern Virginia. I will heal, and I will move on to other interests.

But next November, I will be ready to start all over again.

GO BIG BLUE!