Many things could have happened Thursday night to change history:

A sneeze.

A rebound.

A turnover.

A traveling call.

A free throw.

A shoestring.

A tip-in.

A strong wind.

A wet spot on the floor.

A push.

A shove.

A word.

Anything.

Any one of those things could have sent the men’s basketball team into the Elite Eight early Friday morning. One-point overtime losses are that close. ISU’s loss to the highly regarded UCLA Bruins was that close. It doesn’t get much closer than 74-73 in extra minutes.

Still, the tournament was exciting. Wins over Illinois State and Cincinnati were big. The Sweet 16 is an elite group, and we are grateful our Cyclones gave us the chance to whoop it up, to pack the bars Thursday, to punch holes in our ceilings when ISU went up by one with 10 seconds left in the game that proved fatal.

What’s sad is that it didn’t look on paper or on screen like the better team won Thursday. ISU controlled the bulk of the game, leading by as much as 16. Dedric Willoughby and company, by any standard, looked like a team that could have played with anyone.

But sometimes, the winds of fate just aren’t on your side. The Cyclone players and coaches shouldn’t be faulted. The referees shouldn’t be faulted. The Bruins shouldn’t be faulted.

Sometimes, you just don’t win.

Thursday, we just didn’t win.

But thank you, Coach Tim Floyd and crew, anyway.

By playing a game, you did what even good administrators spend a lifetime trying to do: You gave everyone with an iota of an Iowa State connection a common purpose. In doing so, you made believers out of skeptics, fans out of cynics.

To the team and the coaches: All the best and good luck next year.

To the seniors: Thanks for the ride.

To the Bruins: Thank God for antihistamines, double-knots, indoor stadiums, towel boys and silence.