Max Klesmit fights through tears to share his final thoughts after the BYU loss

These seniors gave it their all. Now that a little time has passed following the heartbreaking 91-89 loss to BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, everyone can reflect on how special this group of Wisconsin basketball players were.

Yes, the season ended in disappointment, but come on, this team was so much fun to watch this year. Remember when they were projected to finish 12th in the Big Ten? Yeah, that didn't happen. Instead, the Badgers won 27 games, reached the conference tournament title game and were a play or two away from reaching the Sweet Sixteen.

The fact that the Badgers were so close to a huge comeback vs. BYU makes things even more difficult for the guys who donned a UW jersey for the last time. This includes Max Klesmit, who was fighting through tears while speaking to the media after the final whistle. He wasn't the only one, as Kamari McGee and Carter Gilmore were also pretty devastated:

Max Klesmit will forever be grateful that he played for the Wisconsin Badgers

That clip right there is tough to watch. Sometimes it's easy to forget that these are still young men who have emotions just like the rest of us. The blood, sweat and tears that were sacrificed in recent years to help propel the program is something the fanbase surely appreciates.

Wisconsin indeed was oh so close to wiping away a double-digit deficit to BYU. However, it just wasn't meant to be for them and Klesmit, along with his teammates, are going to be thinking about what could have been over things for quite some time.

Klesmit finished with 12 points in the loss. He spent the first two years of his college career with Wofford before transferring to Wisconsin ahead of the 2022-23 season. A Wisconsin native, suiting up for the Badgers was a dream come true for him and something he'll never forget.