INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since April 7, 2014, when the final horn sounded the Kentucky Wildcats were not celebrating a victory.For the first time all season, it was Kentucky that faltered down the stretch as the opponent surged, and for the first time all season Kentucky (38-1) was on the losing side of a game, falling to Wisconsin 71-64.”Could not be more proud of this group of young people,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “What they did all year, just took us all on a ride, our staff, our school, our state. Took us on a ride. We all wanted to win those last two. These kids wanted to win it in the worst way.”It was a season to remember, but more specifically, it was a team to remember. Nine McDonald’s All-Americans bought in, put the team and their teammates before themselves, sacrificed, gave back and showed what hard work and a selfless attitude can accomplish.After the game, players spoke about the heartache of defeat in a somber locker room reminiscent of a funeral visitation, and looked back on the bond they shared throughout a historic season.”The journey that we made with these guys right here–I know everybody says that they love their teammates but we really are like brothers,” sophomore Andrew Harrison said.”It’s the best team I’ve ever been a part of,” freshman guard Devin Booker said. “Best guys I’ve ever been a part of. Best coaching staff.””I think I’ll just remember how much we love each other,” freshman forward Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We really love each other a lot. I think it’s our love that keeps us so together, even in this hard time. It’s hard. It’s hard to think right now, but we just love each other so much. That’s what I’m going to take away: how close we really are as a family, and how people really don’t understand how close we really are. Like brothers. How we almost always do everything together, no matter what.”Despite the loss, the Wildcats still made history in a number of ways. Their 38 wins are tied for the most wins in college basketball history, and their 38-game winning streak is the longest ever to open a season. The Cats became the first team from a power conference to enter the postseason undefeated since Indiana in 1976.They faced adversity, rallying from late deficits in each of their first two Southeastern Conference games to ultimately win in overtime. They also rallied late on the road against LSU and Georgia and again in the Elite Eight round against Notre Dame before coming up with the winning plays.The fifth-youngest team in the country, these Wildcats played, spoke and acted like seasoned veterans throughout a season in which they received more national attention than any other college basketball program has in the history of the sport.Thirty-eight and 0 is how they started the night. The lone blemish they leave it with is what had each of them questioning whether the season was a success.”For our personal goals I feel like it kind of ruins the season,” Booker said. “But again, you can’t overlook what we’ve done this year. Thirty-eight and 0 is incredible, but we wanted the championship.”Kentucky’s ninth championship banner will have to wait. After having played in the Final Four in four of the past five seasons, no one knows how long that wait will last. The 2015-16 version will undoubtedly be a different one as some Wildcats will surely leave Lexington after the semester is over to pursue their professional careers.In the immediate aftermath of the loss, however, all of the focus was pointed inward toward each other and how much they will miss the team camaraderie and brotherhood established through a grueling season that began in the summer at the Bahamas, and ended in the spring in the national semifinals.”It’s definitely a close-knit group and I’m going to miss all these guys because the seniors and the rest of us who have a decision to make, we won’t ever be on the same team,” sophomore guard Aaron Harrison said. “It’s just disappointing.”Disappointing, sure, but the special nature of their accomplishments, despite the loss, wasn’t forgotten.”This season is historic,” Coach Cal said. “I just can’t believe anybody is going to do what these kids just did to get to this point unblemished with the schedule they played, then how they did it.”And it wasn’t only what the team accomplished on the court, but also all of their acts of greatness off the court. With a fan base as passionate as any in the country backing the team’s every basket or defensive stop, these Wildcats recognized their place in the fabric of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, as well as the Big Blue Nation as a whole.They visited hospitals, connected with fans and those less fortunate, participated in the ALS Challenge and Samaritan’s Feet, and represented what many ask for in a team: humility, selflessness, teamwork and talent. In the eyes of Towns, more than the records, more than the numbers, that may be what this team is remembered for the most.”I think we should be remembered as great basketball players (and) great human beings,” Towns said. “A team that shows that success is more important than individual success. Accolades don’t count as much as the team success. That we all gave up a part of ourselves for each other to make a perfect mold in our minds. I think that just shows that talent doesn’t always come with egos, but it comes with great human beings also.”