It was a time for anger, for excuses, for placing blame.

But there was none of that for Pepper or Hotchkin.

"I refuse to get down about a single game," Hotchkin said. "You've got to put it in the context of a superb season."

"It's frustrating, but there has to be a balance," Pepper echoed. "You have to look at it in the right perspective."

For Hotchkin and Pepper, that means one loss against four winning seasons, three tournament trips and a host of awards.

"They are such good individual people that they had an impact on the team that was very, very positive," Getman said. "It's nice that they both went out playing in the Final Four."

Lots of people are talking about "next year." Harvard has enough talent returning to make a serious bid for the '88 title.

But that team will owe a lot to the legacy left by Pepper and Hotchkin.