It's truly amazing how close the line is between thrill and devastation.
For all of the splendor of Duke's magical 37-2 season, the final six seconds Monday night will forever change the course of Duke's basketball history.
The Blue Devils were incredibly close to going down as one of the greats, a team that could blow out most and then win the close one when a title was on the line. A win over Connecticut would have shown their toughness, no matter how tight the margin.
Instead, however unfair it may be, they remain one of the best Duke teams but still join '91 UNLV and '85 Georgetown as great teams who couldn't quite close out the deal.
All of this because of a few harmless seconds, no longer than it took to read this sentence.
When Duke inbounded the ball with 5.4 seconds left, my view of most of the court was blocked by the Connecticut bench standing. I saw Langdon get the ball and tear down the left side, and then I focused on the basket, waiting for the ball to enter its path.
It never did.
Time stood still. Elton Brand called it a bad dream. Shane Battier said he felt like he was in the Twilight Zone.
Just like that, the Huskies were mobbing each other in celebration while Mike Krzyzewski was consoling Will Avery as they quickly walked off the court.
Duke basketball fans will forever break down the Blue Devils' final two possessions in Tropicana Field.
Should timeouts have been called?
Should Langdon have tried to drive on a stellar defender like Ricky Moore?
Should Langdon have flipped the ball to Avery, who was setting himself up on the left wing for a three-pointer in the final two seconds?
Could of, should of, would of. It doesn't really matter anymore. The fact is, Duke lost.
And for all the hurt that fans, and more importantly the players themselves feel right now, the end of Monday night's championship game will never be changed. You can't go back and replay history.
Langdon himself certainly deserved better. If it weren't for the captain, there never would have been a last-second sequence; Connecticut would have put the game away far earlier.
Instead, Langdon keeps the Blue Devils in the game for thirty-nine minutes and 55 seconds and then steps up in one of the biggest moments in Duke's storied history and tries to win a dramatic championship.
If he makes a shot, forget about Keith Smart and Michael Jordan, this would have taken the cake. It just didn't happen.
Connecticut was rewarded for being the first team all year to find holes in Duke's defense and contain Elton Brand while still limiting the open perimeter looks.
A brilliant gameplan by Jim Calhoun had his team prepared up until the very end, when all UConn needed was Moore to shut down Duke's go-to player.
"Hopefully there will be better days ahead," Avery reminded after the game.
Indeed, for this stellar team there should be nothing but better days ahead. If Avery and Brand choose to return, and Avery for one said he was definitely leaning toward it, and if next year's incoming class is able to mesh with the current players, Duke will only get better.
That means another preseason top ranking, another year of heightened expectations and more comparisons to the all-time greats.
In other words, another season much like this one. This one, as we found out, was absolutely perfect up until the last shot.
Who would ever change anything about this year?
A lot of people around these parts are hurting right now. Perhaps no team in the country has higher expectations on a yearly basis. Everyone was set to celebrate the team's third title and get ready for talk of back-to-back and the return of a dynasty.
I don't think there are too many people out there who actually considered that Duke might not win a championship.
But the Blue Devils didn't, and that fact will never be changed.
All in the span of a few measly seconds.
Joel Israel is a Trinity senior and sports editor of The Chronicle.
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