NASHVILLE, Tenn. – So, you think today’s college athlete doesn’t care?

Win, lose, what’s the difference, right? Wrong.

Approximately 20 minutes had passed after the final buzzer sounded, ending Georgia’s 2018-19 men's basketball season with a 71-61 loss to Missouri in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Sitting slumped on his stool inside the team’s cramped locker room at the Bridgestone Arena was junior Tyree Crump, obviously in a state of hurt. One could tell he'd been crying.

For those unfamiliar with SEC protocol as it pertains to the media, in tournaments like the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament and in football at the SEC Championship, the press is allowed in the locker room following a mandated “cooling off” period.

Confession time: This is an area of my job that I’ve never handled very well. Interjecting myself after a difficult defeat isn’t easy. It's a chore I don't take lightly.

As someone whose job is to give unbiased accounts of Georgia athletics, it’s my responsibility not to get caught up in the emotional highs of victory or the sadness that defeat often brings. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t have empathy. That was certainly easy to offer Crump, who appeared to be feeling overwhelmed after Wednesday night’s defeat. His reaction was a bit more than I honestly was expecting.

After all, what’s another loss, right? With a record of 11-21, Georgia wasn’t going to postseason play unless it won the SEC Tournament. And the chances of that happening going in were, well, not very good.

Still, you certainly couldn’t tell by the looks on the faces inside that this one hurt, and Crump perhaps most of all.

Seeing Crump wasn’t ready to talk, reporters gave him a little extra time. But even after we returned, Crump dutifully answered a couple of questions before covering his head with a towel, elbows resting on his knees, his hands covering his face.

Nearby, teammate Jordan Harris, who poured in a game-high 26 points, seemed to sum up the feelings of every other player in the room regarding the just-completed campaign. The question: Was it a relief to end such a season?

“Noooo, man, I wish we could have continued playing,” Harris said. “Everybody else in here wishes we could have continued to play, just like our coaches wish they could have continued to coach. We’re not happy this has come to an end.”

That seemed to be the prevailing feeling.

Even head coach Tom Crean declared he wasn’t going to do any initial reflecting, suggesting he will probably give it seven days before “jumping” back into it again.

Players, for the most part, deflected any questions about the future, constantly reminding reporters “we just lost the game.”

As for that aforementioned future, Crean remains as confident as ever that better days are ahead.

The arrival of Anthony Edwards will ensure the crowds keep coming to Stegeman Coliseum after setting a school record for attendance in the now completed campaign.

But for now, it’s dealing with the disappointment of Georgia’s worst season since the Bulldogs went 8-20 in Coach Dennis Felton’s second season (2004-05).

Losing isn’t supposed to be fun. It should hurt. And for this Georgia team, that’s certainly true. Just ask Tyree Crump.