The Crimson fans that traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., certainly were not hoping for just a moral victory, but given the Crimson’s recent postseason performances, perhaps they shouldn’t be too disappointed.

“I think we battled very hard and didn’t just give in when we could have given in,” said Casey, who scored seven of his 13 points in the last 7:28. “We weren’t going to stop fighting until the final buzzer rang.”

And when the NCAA tournament comes to a close, the Crimson’s nine-point loss to an experienced and athletic Vanderbilt team that entered the year ranked No. 7 in the nation might not look too shabby.

“I think they have all the pieces to the puzzle for an outstanding team, as we’ve seen, and certainly to make a deep run here in the tournament,” said Amaker, though the Commodores fell to Wisconsin, 60-57, on Saturday.

So while the Crimson’s first NCAA tournament run in 66 years may have ended faster than you can say “Festus Ezeli,” Harvard fans should remember that Thursday’s game, just like each of the past five seasons, was a step in the right direction.

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.