71-64.
Final.
UK’s Anthony Davis, likely the the national player of the year, was outscored by three different Commodores, including Player of the Game Jeffrey Taylor and SEC Tournament MVP John Jenkins.
I have watched these kids for five years now, more and closer than I ever did any Commodore team in the years after leaving Vanderbilt. In 2006, I finally talked myself into believing it was okay to claim Vandy as my own, and I went all-in. I’ve seen a breathtaker in Moraga and a heartbreak in San Jose, and that’s just in person. I have perched on the edge of the sofa, curled into a ball in front of the laptop, done deals with every higher power known to man, frightened the neighbors and annoyed my family to no end. I have been emotionally invested in this team in a way that never happened when I was there, even. I let them break my heart.
And today, it all paid off.
That’s a banner. That’s a ring. That’s a trophy. That’s history. That’s never going away, no matter what, even if we endure another sixty-year drought in the conference tournament. Today, we are on top of the pile.
I know I’ve said that the problem with being a fan is that the high of winning is never as high as the pain of losing is low. Well, let me say through the tears of victory (and the snot of victory; it’s allergy season): I was very, very wrong.
I don’t care what we do in the NCAA tournament. I don’t care what happens next year. We could go 0-27 next year, and that banner will still be hanging in Memorial: 2012 SEC CHAMPIONS.
John, Jeffrey, Festus, Brad, Lance, Steve, Kyle, Rod, Dai-Jon, Kedren, Shelby, Josh, James, Jordan, Aaron. Our heroes. Thanks for making it happen. At long, long last, this fandom’s paying out. =)