The dread fell over me just as I watched it fall over the Bulldogs.
During a 20-3 run over the course of 10 minutes in the second half, the swagger Butler had shown all season disappeared.
Brad Stevens and his team had shown it belonged throughout the tournament. This wasn't the first game where Butler had struggled. The Bulldogs trailed in the final two minutes of three tournament games.
But it was the first game where you didn't think the Bulldogs could come back.
The incredible finishes against Old Dominion, Pittsburgh and Florida wouldn't be replicated Monday night.
And you could see it on the players' faces.
Matt Howard and company couldn't believe the number of shots that didn't fall during the worst shooting performance in NCAA championship game history.
"It was frustrating," coach Brad Stevens told CBS after the game. "That was the best closeout team we've played against in a long time. They challenged every shot."
Butler couldn't match the aggression of Connecticut. The Huskies controlled the paint on both ends, blocking 10 shots and outscoring the Bulldogs 26-2 in the paint.
So instead the old guard wins again, as UConn picked up its third title in 12 years. I don't want to deride the Huskies — winning 11 tournament games in a row is incredible — but this isn't the ending I could accept.
I wanted to go for a walk to shake out the cobwebs after the game, but it was raining too hard. Even Mother Nature wasn't on my side Monday night.
This performance will be a tarnish on Butler's season, but I think we'll remember the run more than this game. In 10 years, we'll be talking about Gordon Hayward's shot in 2010 and the heroics of Howard and Shelvin Mack this season, not the 3-for-31 shooting from inside the arc.
In the end, Butler's journey gives hope to the mid-majors that will be in the Big Dance in 2012 and beyond.
Now could Ball State just make the tournament? I'm tired of rooting for other schools.
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