There was another team out there that was marching through the season undefeated, that looked unstoppable at times, that had all arrows pointing toward a national title.
Corey Kispert greeted his coach with a hug on the sideline as he checked out for the last time, then soon wrapped his arms around Jalen Suggs as his teammate broke down in tears.
Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike had their chances at championships for Stanford that fell short before the sisters celebrated one together in San Antonio when the Cardinal finally won again.
North Carolina didn't have to look far to find the successor to Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams or someone with a strong connection to the storied men's basketball program.
It was a dud of a year and a tournament until former Minnehaha Academy standout Jalen Suggs made some magic on Saturday night to get Gonzaga into the title game.
Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford beat Arizona 54-53, giving the Cardinal and Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer their first national championship since 1992.
Suggs has been producing clutch plays and memorable moments — in two sports — since his Minnehaha Academy days, so his overtime buzzer-beater to defeat UCLA was nothing new.