INDIANAPOLIS - Coach Brad Stevens cut a forlorn figure as his team, The Butler Bulldogs, missed out on a golden opportunity to become the first team in the history of college basketball to lose three consecutive NCAA championship games, following their defeat to Valparaiso Saturday.
"I guess it just wasn't to be," said the 35-year-old, glancing around an empty Hinkle Fieldhouse. "We wanted to give our fans one more heart-wrenching and utterly disappointing championship performance that they could really treasure for the rest of their lives. Fate was obviously not on our side on Saturday night."
"We're now just going to focus on next year. Hopefully, we can build toward a horribly crushing defeat in the 2013 final instead."
With the Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament, it remains unclear which underdog team will go on to suffer the unbearable heartache of narrowly losing in this year's final.