Jerome Dyson turned the ball over on two consecutive possessions (referee-aided on the second), the perfect mix of misfortune and a mystifying lack of basketball IQ. Gavin Edwards rushed an off-balance layup when he had a wide-open lane to slam home the winning dunk. Stanley Robinson was basically invisible in winning time.
You could not script a more fitting end to three relatively disappointing careers and what has been, Price/Adrien/Thabeet/Sticks-led Final Four run aside, a disappointing four-year run for UConn basketball. Every tragic flaw this team had was exposed in comically depressing fashion in tonight's NIT second-round game against Virginia Tech. Every moment of brilliance was offset by something dumb.
UConn led for 85 percent of the game in front of a surprisingly-hostile-for-an-NIT-game crowd. There was an inherent goodness about this team. I will always believe that this team deserved better than 18-16 and a season-ending loss on a random Monday night in Blacksburg. But, just as they had a dozen times this year, the seniors and Kemba didn't have the fortune/ability to make the last good play.
So it goes. Like a wise philosopher once said, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. See you in November, Coach Cal. You've got a hell of a task awaiting you, but there's no one I'd rather have at the helm of this ship.
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We'll have more to say, I imagine, but for now, use this thread for griping/future-hoping. On to watch the ladies bring home the title, and plus we've got baseball and spring football to worry about. Thank you to all the commenters who made this basketball season extra entertaining. We hope you stay with us throughout the spring and summer.