BOSTON -- The Texas Tech run in the NCAA tournament was just about to end and coach Chris Beard gathered his seniors, the ones who stayed and bought in and produced the best season in program history.
On the bench Sunday as the final seconds ticked off in a 71-59 NCAA East Regional final loss to Villanova, Beard expressed his appreciation to the five.
"He just told us how much he appreciated the journey, how much he loved us and appreciated us for sticking with him," senior forward Zach Smith said.
Inside the Tech locker room, players tried to balance exceeding pretty much all expectations versus coming up short of the Final Four.