So close.

So damn close.

Would’ve been the greatest moment in the history of the NCAA Tournament, bar none, past, present or future — absolutely unsurpassed and unsurpassable.

Instead: it hits the rim, and Duke wins another championship. Meh.

On Twitter, several people made the comparison to Tom Watson’s missed putt at the 18th hole at the British Open. I think that’s perfect, and totally apt. In one alternate reality, something totally amazing, incredible, unprecedented, and unbelievable happens. In another alternate reality, the result is fairly ordinary. You come tantalizingly, achingly close to seeing Reality #1 happen (Hayward’s shot falls, Watson wins), but instead, Reality #2 happens, and there’s an empty feeling of “holy cow, so close, what if.”

*sigh*

But what a game, and Butler, what a run. And what a tournament.