Chapter 19: Sense of Security

In the final minutes, the Bulldogs Team gave Dayton University a chance to narrow the score, just like in the 1967 NCAA championship game.

In the '80s, with no three-pointer, slow offensive rhythm, and long offensive times, a 15-point deficit was difficult to overcome.

At the moment the game ended, Dayton University's NCAA journey for the year ended as well.

For the seniors on the team, their college basketball careers might also have come to an end (unless they were invited to play in the NIT after the NCAA).

The Bulldog players rushed onto the court, hugging each other and cheering, happy as a bunch of kids over two hundred pounds each.

Meanwhile, some Dayton players crouched on the ground, others sat with their heads drooping on the sidelines, most covering their eyes as tears kept streaming down.

This is the nature of the single-elimination NCAA tournament, win and advance, lose and go home, and for some, a loss meant never returning to that court again.