Denzel Valentine cast his eyes toward the Scottrade Center ceiling, the overhead lights glistening in his tears.
Overcome with emotion, Kathy Valentine turned her back to her son—literally turned 180 degrees in her seat—and sobbed.
Then Denzel Valentine began the loneliest walk in college basketball: from the handshake line to the locker room after a defeat in the final game of his college career.
This was no run-of-the-mill heartbreaker for Valentine and the Michigan State Spartans, of course. It was a gut shot of the fiercest kind. It was so unexpected, the question immediately bandied about on Twitter was: biggest upset in NCAA tournament history?