Jordan Morgan bids adieu to Michigan with a teary goodbye

033014_SPT_UMvsUK_MRM_17.JPG

Michigan senior Jordan Morgan wipes his eyes as he answers a question during a press conference after the Wolverines' 75-72 loss to Kentucky in the Elite Eight at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jordan Morgan spoke with the cognitive dissonance of a man in flux.

Dovetailing happy reflections of a five-year ride at Michigan with misery marking the end of the road, the senior forward tried to sum it all up.

"You just hope to leave it better than you found it and I just hope my teammates take as much pride in keeping Michigan as a championship program as I have," Morgan said in the hushed seclusion of a losing NCAA tournament locker room.

The Wolverines' 75-72 loss to Kentucky in Sunday's Midwest Regional finals marked Morgan's 142nd game played, a program record.

This one, though, delivered a certain finality.

"I didn't expect this to be my last game," Morgan said. "I don't know what else to say."

Morgan's sweaty pursuit of continuing his career produced a 11-point, four-rebound outing in 22 foul-plagued minutes at Lucas Oil Stadium. He was among multiple Wolverines overwhelmed by Kentucky's long, strong, athletically gifted freshman frontline.

As if Julius Randle, James Young and Dakari Johnson combining for 32 points on 16-of-28 shooting and 18 rebounds wasn't enough, Kentucky received an out-of-nowhere virtuoso performance from little-known forward Marcus Lee. He added 10 points and eight rebounds.

The foursome combined for 13 of UK's 17 offensive rebounds.

"Offensive rebounds -- that's what kept them in the game was them being able to go up above the rim and keep some of those rebounds alive," Morgan said.

For Morgan, the loss came with the burden of talking about his final chapter.

Looking at the ground with red, puffy eyes, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound big man said Michigan is "everything you could ask for in a place."

"The coaching staff, teammates, support staff, everybody -- they do everything they can to make you successful," he added. "It's been a great place for me to be for five years."

Morgan's final message in the post game locker room went something like this: "Just understand what really happens when you've got a bunch of guys that will really band together and work hard."

Morgan did his part to help the season live to see another day. His tip-in of a missed Caris LeVert 3-pointer tied the game 72-72 with 27 seconds left.

For a moment, he was the night's hero.

What ensued, though, was heartbreak. A 3-pointer by Kentucky's Aaron Harrison with 2.6 seconds remaining instead handed him the hero's welcome.

Morgan's final game in maize landed him atop Michigan's career and single season field-goal percentage list. He finished the 2013-14 season at 70.0 percent from the field and with a career mark of 63.1 percent. Both numbers surpassed records held by Maceo Baston (68.16 percent single season in 1995-96; 62.67 percent career from 1994-98).

Not yet ready to look ahead to a future that will include a Master's degree in manufacturing engineering, Morgan instead looked back on how he arrived at Michigan and what he now leaves behind.

"It was in shambles," he said. "It's much different now. You've got a national championship game appearance, an Elite Eight and a couple of Big Ten championships. Some of our first games, people didn't even come to the games. It's a big change. You just hope that we can continue to build."

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.