66 other teams suffer the fate that Michigan endured early on Saturday morning in Atlanta.

There is so much joy that accompanies simply qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

And those feelings level up when you advance a round and then advance another round and so on and so on.

Conversely, little, if anything, can prepare you for the immediacy, the swiftness, the emotions of an NCAA tournament loss.

Before the Wolverines matchup with Auburn began, we knew that all of us as fans would remember this team fondly down the road.

We knew it before the confetti fell in Indianapolis when Michigan won the

Big Ten Tournament Championship. Frankly, we knew it, maybe as far back as February. But when you get to

the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, you are one of 16 in while 348 others are out. Future

vibes, legacy, forget it. It's about surviving and advancing, capitalizing on

the opportunity. Reflections can come when the run is over, and then the run is over. 40 minutes,

poof. The end smacks you in the face when the buzzer sounds, and it comes back for more when

you realize that this collection

of individuals who formed a remarkably fun and successful team will never together compete again.

I can't even imagine the feelings of Vlad Golden and Ruben Jones, who combined for almost 300

college games and now see their careers come to an end.

Or Danny Wolf, who got to live his dream of being a Michigan Wolverine and now likely

turns his attention to the NBA. Those emotions, that finality, it adds another layer. But for those

returning are for you and me who get to go on this ride every year with different

people steering the ship, different players competing on the floor, this screeching halt of the end

of the season likely coincides with a renewed belief in a program that had a blip over the last

couple of seasons. Dusty May, his staff, these players, all provided

Michigan basketball with a new beginning. Last season, Michigan's Big Ten tournament journey

...