'Magical season': Wildcats' Final Four loss doesn't diminish historic season

It didn't help much; the Wildcats ended the half with the Wolverines ahead, 48-32.

Up in the bloody-nose section of Lucas Oil Stadium, Tucsonan Mark Vargas was recalling past games this season when UA had to dig its way out of a halftime hole only to come back and win.

"I feel like we've been in this situation before," Vargas said. "I would rather be down by 10. ...  I strongly believe we still have this."

"This team is the real thing," said Tucson retiree Keith Wilburn, who had a decent view of the action on the court from his second-tier seat. "They do not give up. They don't get rattled. Yes, they can make a good run in the second (half)."

But when the shrill of the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats' first Final Four in 25 years came up 18 points short, losing to the Wolverines 91-73.

As the reporters swarmed the top Michigan players on the court, Tucson fans who had filled the University of Arizona student section with a sea of red filed out of Lucas Oil Stadium, many with their heads down. A few students were teary-eyed; more than a few were leaning on one another as they left. 

But while the loss was a crushing blow to UA students Carson Hielscher and Dulcie Quinn, the pair saw it for what it was: a moment in time that didn't diminish the team's historic season.

"Gratitude," said Hielscher, a senior. "I feel grateful."

"They made it to the Final Four," added Quinn, a UA junior. "We're proud of these guys."

Hielscher and Quinn, who had flown out of Tucson at 4:30 p.m. Friday and didn't get into Indianapolis until 11 a.m. Saturday, were among the last to leave the student section. As the stadium emptied, they stuck around, waiting until the UA players had all left the court.

"I think it's incredible that they came out here, especially the freshmen, and played in this environment," Hielscher reflected. "Just the fight. The way the game was going, it's so hard. But I had hope."

The number of fans donning Wildcat red seemed at a glance to overpower the Michigan gold. But those Michigan fans were loud; maybe it was because the game was going in their favor from tip-off, when they got the ball and scored in the game's opening seconds. 

With every point the Wolverines scored, the louder their fans became, drowning out the chants of "U OF A!" that ebbed and flowed early on, then just silenced to barely a whisper.

When the Wildcats showed signs of life in the second half, Vargas and Wilburn held out hope for a comeback as the game clock ticked down like an hourglass running out of sand. 

"Everything went right for Michigan," said Vargas, who was at the game with his sister, Stephanie Pereire, and brother, Matthew. It was the first time the siblings had been together in three years, which they said sort of felt like a personal championship.

Wilburn said he would have liked to see the Wildcats go all the way, "but the Final Four, baby!" he exclaimed. 

"Plus our program is intact and we had a great adventure," he added, referring to Coach Tommy Lloyd's announcement Friday that he wouldn't seek the head coaching job in North Carolina as rumored.

While Arizona fans joined the airlines' digital queue to change their flights and go home early, Quinn and Hielscher said they planned to stick around. They booked their return for Tuesday, hoping that the Wildcats would be playing in Monday's championship game.  

"Indy's a great city," Hielscher said. "This trip was still awesome. This doesn't change the trip at all."

Nor does it change his and Quinn's perception of the Wildcats. Their 36-3 season led by a trio of untested and immensely talented freshmen united and "really brought out the community in Tucson," Quinn said.

"I like to believe these guys, this whole season, has been magical," added Hielscher.