The amazing thing is, Cal Poly had people believing

A BUFFALO WILD WINGS SOMEWHERE IN KENTUCKY —

On Friday night, Cal Poly fell back to Earth. They were 10-19 in the regular season. By most standards, they should have never got off the ground. While the last week has been a magical one in San Luis Obispo, this too, must come to an end.

Against the top-seeded Wichita State Shockers, the Mustangs just couldn’t get out of the blocks. After Chris Eversley made a three-pointer on Cal Poly’s first or second possession, the Mustangs missed 13 consecutive shots en route to a 21-5  disadvantage via a 21-2 run by Wichita State. It wasn’t the recipe for an upset or even, on this night, a great game.

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The noteable thing about the game wasn’t the game, though. It was that, even if just for a moment, and even if just within Cal Poly circles, they had Mustang fans believing. Maybe they just didn’t know any better, but I think there were a portion of Cal Poly fans who really did believe that this upset was going to happen.

A seven-seed in the conference tournament, there was no reason for Cal Poly to win three straight games and earn their first NCAA Tournament bid. Once they got there, there was no reason for a team that won only 10 games over the entire regular season to win their First Four game. But they did.

So, living in the clouds, Cal Poly fans were given at least a glimmer of hope to believe that they could be the first 16 seed to beat a one. Because, well, why not? As lots of people tweeted, “Why not us.”

The answers to “Why not us?” were myriad. The Shockers were undefeated all year and are a proven, tested team — I don’t care what the experts say about the legitimacy of their top seed. They were prepared to dominate. Cal Poly’s youth on the interior was exposed. No shots were falling. For goodness sakes, this is about how a 1-16 game is supposed to go when the 16 is in their first tournament.

Fans and seniors and green and gold supporters will be disappointed tonight. But it will be short-lived. The impact of Cal Poly’s first NCAA Tournament appearance will be felt for years to come.

Just the fact that they had some people believing that this 16-seed with a losing record has a chance is a testament to how great this postseason run has been. It’s been everything any Mustang fan could have ever hoped for this year. That shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle as the finality of the season being over sinks-in for Cal Poly fans.