They say that nobody remembers the losers. I’m not sure that’s the case this time.

It would certainly be a travesty for anyone to forget what scrappy team it was that could have – should have – upended the No. 2-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, a team many amateur bracketologists will have reaching the Final Four and competing for a national title this March. When a team comes as close as possible to such a momentous victory – and you can’t get closer than one-10th of a second – you deserve to be remembered.

Kentucky, after it had escaped with a 75-74 victory over Mississippi State in Sunday’s SEC Tournament championship game, sounded like a team that won’t forget this game.

“Let me first start by telling you this eye test they talk about. If Mississippi State is not in the NCAA Tournament, there’s no such thing as an eye test,” UK coach John Calipari said. Well, State did not make the Big Dance, but it didn’t miss by much. That’s of little consolation. You could see the heartbreak immediately after the game, as senior Jarvis Varnado hid his face in his No. 32 jersey.

But MSU and its faithful, once the initial disappointment passes, should not let the heartache define their memories of this game. I’m sure ESPN Classic already has a copy in its vault, and at the risk of sounding like a sappy coach, the Bulldogs left the Bridgestone Arena floor like champions.

Coach Rick Stansbury, who guided MSU to the SEC tourney title last season, put it best (and with no trace of sappiness): “I’ve never walked into a locker room where I’ve been more proud of a bunch of guys for what they did out there today. The score has no bearing for how I feel on what they accomplished, because it was amazing.”

Indeed it was. MSU answered every Kentucky push. It held down super freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins most of the game. There were 20 lead changes and 12 ties. Neither team led by more than five points. MSU junior Ravern Johnson, who was suspended for the regular season meeting between these teams – an overtime win by UK in Starkville – was money, scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting.

There were big shots made, big shots missed, and more drama in the final 8.2 seconds of regulation than in the whole rest of the tournament. The phrase “instant classic” gets tossed around quite loosely these days, but this one fits the description perfectly. It would have been sweet for MSU if it could’ve pulled it out, but the memories of it should not be bitter.

Because on Sunday, the Bulldogs were not losers.