KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The moment they finally realized it was over, with about 9 seconds left, the five of them were still on the court.
They’d been there out a while – through an overtime without substitutions, most of the second half, all of crunch time. Much has been asked all along of these five Kentucky players, and they’d won 30 games.
But this time, they’d barely lost. That was apparent as they slowly walked to the other end of the court, awaiting Auburn foul shots, shoulders sagging, heads down, completely spent.
Ashton Hagans put an arm around fellow freshman guard Keldon Johnson, who’d just missed a last gasp shot.