SAN ANTONIO _ For a while, everything felt possible Monday night at the Alamodome, when Michigan had college basketball's next dynasty stymied.
The Wolverines were everywhere. Jumping passing lanes. Swiping dribbles. Attacking the rim and even making 3's.
It looked so familiar, didn't it, like this improbable ride that began back in February might last the rest of the summer?
Heck, the rest of these Wolverines' lives. Championships can do that. Can give those who win them a slice of immortality.
Even if their coach, John Beilein, kept saying a title wouldn't change much. At least for him.
He was right. It wouldn't have.
And it shouldn't change anything for you that he missed another chance to win one Monday night in that NCAA national championship game. That he gave these Wolverines a chance should be the story.
And it will be. Once the disappointment fades. And the tears dry. And the pain of coming so close washes away.
But ... back to that beginning, when Moritz Wagner took the ball on his first possession, spun, faked a shot, and kissed a lefty lay-up off the glass.
Then hit two free throws. Then drilled a 3-pointer. Then smiled. Waved his arms. Turned to the thousands of maize and blue-clad fans as if to say:
"Isn't that grand?"
Yeah, it was.
Until all that energy dried up in a haze of missed shots. Bricked shots. Airballs. Clanked free throws.
Meanwhile: Donte DiVincenzo. Villanova's sophomore shooting guard. The Wildcats' "fourth-best player."
He hit step-back 3s. Blew past defenders on his way to the rim. Dunked.
That's how it is when you run up against a budding dynasty. The stars _ in this case, player of the year Jalen Brunson and future NBA forward Mikal Bridges _ may not overwhelm you on a particular night.
But someone else does.
DiVincenzo killed the electricity in the Alamodome, then wiped out the Wolverines' spirit.
That sticky defense?
He blew it up with a series of next-level shots, including two dagger 3's in the second half when U-M looked like it might make a run.
The Wolverines trailed by 12 at the half. Wagner cut it to seven after backing down Bridges. Then Villanova grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to push it back to nine.
Then: DiVencenzo.
It happens that way sometimes. Especially on this stage. The player you don't expect ends a season, in a way that makes a team look helpless.
Which is what these Wolverines were. In the end, they just ran into more talent, into a team built a lot like they were ... only with more of everything.
Shooting. Swagger. Shotmaking. Depth.
So, for now, an unlikely ride ends. Though the ascendancy of this program doesn't.
U-M will be back. Maybe not here. Maybe not next year. But, eventually.
That's the lesson of this ride. The lesson of John Beilein.
