In a game that came down to the final seconds, the UCF men’s basketball team, which was seeded No. 9 in the tournament’s East Region, fell to top overall seed Duke by a score of 77-76 in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, or “March Madness.”
Even so, the Knights’ men’s team are turning the page on the 2018-2019 season with much to be proud of, despite the heartbreaking loss, after they clinched a win over Virginia Commonwealth University in the first round of the tournament – a first for the program – on Friday.
UCF’s appearance in the tournament marked the end of a 14-year drought, when the team received an at-large invitation (another school-first) earlier this month on “Selection Sunday.” Prior to this year’s invitation, the program had previously appeared in the tournament five times.
But the bright-side that came with last night only stretches so far, as noted by both the UCF players and coaching staff post-game.
“Heartbreak,” UCF player Aubrey Dawkins said of Sunday night’s loss in a post-game interview. “When you invest this much in it, it breaks your heart.”
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This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2019.