INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — DeJon Jarreau made his way to Kelvin Sampson as he checked out for the final time and gave his coach a long hug.
Quentin Grimes followed a short time later, and both ended up huddled with teammates in tears at the end of the bench as the final seconds of Houston's season ticked away.
It was a brutal finish to the Cougars' first Final Four run in nearly four decades, a 78-59 loss to Baylor in Saturday's national semifinals. It wasn't just the loss, it was the way they lost — with the tough defense and relentless rebounding that had been the most essential elements in Sampson's rebuild faltering on college basketball's biggest stage.