‘Losses like this, they hurt forever.’ EKU’s historic basketball season ends in heartbreak.

For all the historic accomplishments — both individually and as a team — the 2023-24 Eastern Kentucky men’s basketball season featured, it’s the abrupt ending that will linger in the weeks, months and potentially years to come.

A historic EKU season, which featured the program’s first regular season championship in 45 years, came to a sudden end Tuesday night inside Baptist Health Arena.

EKU — the No. 1 seed in the ASUN Tournament — fell to No. 10 seed Jacksonville, 67-65, in the quarterfinals of the win-or-go-home postseason event.

As the top seed in the conference tournament, the Colonels were in position to host as many as three games in Richmond as part of a path toward their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.

But after the shocking home loss to Jacksonville, EKU (17-14 overall) will see its NCAA Tournament drought extend to a 10th year.

“Losses like this, they hurt forever,” EKU head coach A.W. Hamilton said postgame.

Eastern Kentucky was a significant favorite to bring home the ASUN Tournament title in just its third season in the league. The Colonels had been a perfect 8-0 in home games against ASUN opponents this season and 12-4 overall in conference contests, an impressive turnaround after going 4-9 in nonconference play.

At the very least, EKU was expected to take care of business against a Jacksonville team the Colonels beat by 16 points in late January in Richmond.

But Tuesday night’s result wasn’t a fluke.

The Dolphins — who defeated No. 9 seed Kennesaw State in a first round game on Monday in Richmond — led for more than 22 minutes of game time and got spectacular scoring performances from graduate student forward Bryce Workman (a season-high 25 points) and redshirt sophomore guard Robert McCray V (24 points). Jacksonville also went 19-for-21 from the foul line and forced EKU into 11 turnovers. (The Colonels only managed 10 assists).

“I thought we played tight in the first half,” Hamilton said. “We weren’t loose and moving the ball like we’ve been moving (it). ... We just played tight.”

The dying seconds of what became an upset loss still afforded EKU the chance for a late comeback.

With EKU down three points, Colonels’ sophomore guard Tayshawn Comer was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer in the corner with 3.5 seconds left. Comer missed the first free throw, made the second, then intentionally missed the third. EKU corralled that loose ball, but fifth-year forward Michael Moreno’s last second shot fell short of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

While Eastern Kentucky held on to win the ASUN regular season championship, things had been trending downward on the court for the Colonels prior to Tuesday’s defeat.

EKU could have clinched that regular season title by winning one of its final two games at Austin Peay or at Lipscomb. Instead, EKU lost by four at Austin Peay and by 14 at Lipscomb, only securing the ASUN championship thanks to a loss by league runner-up Stetson.

As such, the Colonels’ season ends with three straight defeats.

Celebrating the college careers of Isaiah Cozart, Michael Moreno

Hamilton’s postgame press conference was full of praise for and reflection on the two pillars of the EKU program: Fifth-year players Isaiah Cozart and the aforementioned Moreno, who both saw their college careers likely end Tuesday.

Both men have etched their names into the record books in Richmond.

Cozart, a fifth-year big who spent his first three college seasons at Western Kentucky, owns EKU’s all-time and single-season blocks records. Undersized for his position at 6-foot-7, Cozart averaged 15.6 points, 10 rebounds and 3.87 blocks per game this season.

For the 2023-24 season, Cozart (who became the first person to be named both the ASUN Player of the Year and the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year) leads the NCAA in total blocks (116) and blocks per game.

A Richmond native who was a high school standout at Madison Central, Cozart also recorded the first triple-double in EKU program history this season.

“What he just did this season, it may never be done again,” Hamilton said of Cozart, who is a probable contender for an NBA Summer League spot later this year.

Moreno, whose younger brother, Malachi, is a star basketball recruit at Great Crossing High School, made 66 3-pointers this season and broke the EKU program record for career 3s made in December.

Across his five seasons in Richmond, Moreno, a former high school star at Scott County, made 334 shots from deep. Moreno is the only player in EKU history with at least 1,600 points and at least 900 rebounds.

“What set the tone for us was Michael Moreno,” Hamilton said, speaking to the impact that came with landing a recruit of Moreno’s stature.

According to 247Sports, Moreno was ranked as a three-star prospect, and the fifth-best player in the state of Kentucky, in the 2019 recruiting class.

“He was one of the biggest recruits in school history,” Hamilton added. “When I got here (in 2018), our program was hurting. ... We wanted to get the best players in the state of Kentucky, and for us to get Michael Moreno from where our program was when I got here, was amazing.”

EKU basketball won’t be going to NIT because of new rules

Adding salt to the wound of Tuesday’s loss for EKU are new rule changes that will probably keep the Colonels out of college basketball’s second-most prestigious postseason tournament.

Previously, conference regular season champions that failed to win their conference tournament and weren’t selected for the NCAA Tournament were given automatic bids to the NIT. That’s no longer the case.

For its 2024 edition, the NIT is guaranteeing spots to two teams (based on the NCAA NET rankings) who don’t make the NCAA Tournament from each of the following six conferences: Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.

After that, the NIT Committee will select 20 at-large teams to complete the tournament’s 32-team field.

This will probably keep EKU (No. 204 in the latest NCAA NET rankings) out of the event.

“What’s devastating is the new rule that they passed about the NIT,” Hamilton said. “... These guys should be going to the NIT. What are we doing?... This is what makes the NIT special. It’s the magic about a team like this. ... These guys should be going to the NIT. What a travesty.”

Last season after losing in the ASUN Tournament semifinals, EKU played in the College Basketball Invitational and reached that event’s championship game. Hamilton repeatedly spoke this season about how that four-game run helped set the table for EKU’s success this season, and for Cozart in particular.

But with due respect to any potential postseason opportunities that could still come the Colonels’ way, Hamilton wants to make sure EKU’s 2023-24 season is remembered for the history it created.

A banner will hang inside Baptist Health Arena for the ASUN regular season title. Championship rings will be handed out. A trophy has already been delivered.

Hamilton even advocated for Cozart to have his jersey retired.

And as EKU’s passionate head coach correctly pointed out, before this season, he wasn’t alive the last time the Colonels won a regular season championship.

“They’ll be remembered at Eastern Kentucky forever,” Hamilton said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, but boy that was a great ride.”