MINNEAPOLIS – It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.

The Panthers were supposed to face… MINNEAPOLIS – It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.

The Panthers were supposed to face Kentucky in the Elite Eight in what some people across the country considered to be “the real championship game.”

So how is it that Pitt’s season is over?

Thursday night’s loss to Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen was certainly hard to swallow. I walked away from the court with the combined feeling of wanting to cry and throw up. I was numb for two days afterward until it finally sunk in.

But perhaps more importantly, I’ve realized just how good Pitt fans have it and how much we take our team for granted.

The Panthers went 13-15 during my freshman year, which was also head coach Ben Howland’s first season at Pitt. Fans didn’t expect a whole lot as they were used to the below-average teams of the Ralph Willard era so it made a victory that much more special. I had a lot of fun at those games, even ones against opponents such as Robert Morris, because it was carefree.

But now that the team has turned into one of the nation’s best, expectations are so high that anything less than perfect is a disappointment.

Yes, Thursday night’s loss was a disappointment, but just the fact that the team was even playing in the NCAA Tournament is something that four years ago I would not even be able to comprehend. The team’s progress during that time has been amazing so what’s more upsetting to me right now is not the fact that Pitt’s tournament run has ended, but rather how it ended.

One of the team’s most notable characteristics all season has been its unselfishness. Howland has been quick to praise his team for this and last week after Pitt’s victory over Indiana, Hoosiers head coach Mike Davis couldn’t stop talking about it.

But against Marquette, this was all ruined by the actions of one player.

In the midst of the Panthers’ comeback during the last 10 minutes of the game, Donatas Zavackas did the most selfish thing a player could possibly do. After being replaced on the court by Chevon Troutman, Zavackas sat on the floor – not in a seat next to his teammates – and pouted. He eventually took off his shoes and it was at this point that Howland refused to put him back in the game.

“He’s a very emotional, tough and hard-nosed kid but I’m not going to play games,” Howland said.

Zavackas’ actions are an embarrassment and may have cost Pitt a victory. The Panthers ended up losing by three points and Zavackas is a three-point shooter. That’s not to say that he would have hit a shot that made a difference, but he very well could have, and he should have been on the court instead of acting like a child.

As Howland mentioned, it’s unfortunate that Zavackas’ career came to an end in this manner because of what he has accomplished at Pitt. To go even further, it’s unfortunate that the Panthers’ season came to an end in this way. But at the same time, it shouldn’t overshadow what the team has accomplished this year and in the past few years.

Brandin Knight finishes his Pitt career as one of the best players the program has ever seen. He started out as my favorite player freshman year simply because he is from New Jersey, and so am I. Definitely a stupid reason, but I quickly realized just how good he is.

Knight dished out a season-high 11 assists against Marquette to give him 781 for his career, which puts him 25th on the all-time NCAA assist list and just one ahead of his brother, Brevan. He has amassed 1,440 points during his career, finishing 12th on Pitt’s all-time list.

And he’s been a leader, taking this team from a 5-13 Big East record his first year to a conference championship in his last.

As I stood on the side of the court following Pitt’s win over UConn in the Big East Tournament championship game a few weeks ago at Madison Square Garden, I found myself in tears. It was the realization that for me, this was it.

Four years of following Pitt basketball as a student was coming to an end and although I was certainly happy the team won the game, it was strange to think of how far they had come.

Just two years before in that same building I watched Pitt beat Miami in the first round of the tournament. Back then, wins like those weren’t automatic, and I remember how great it was to go home that night knowing we’d be playing again the next day.

It is remembering times like those that allow me to appreciate what we have now. The Panthers have lost just 11 games the past two years combined, fewer than in either the 1999-2000 or 2000-2001 seasons. We’ve had back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances and while I would have liked to make arrangements to go to New Orleans this weekend, I can’t be overly disappointed that I’m not.

Because while I love everything that this team has done the past two seasons, I still would have been just as big a Panther fan even if they were just mediocre.

Karen Bielak is the sports editor of The Pitt News and wants to say thanks to the basketball team for all the great memories and to all of her friends that have experienced some great times with her along the way.