For every 5.7 seconds, there’s 7.9 seconds.

For every Ty Rogers buzzer-beating three-pointer, there’s a Tyus Edney-style runner by Gonzaga guard Demetri Goodson.

For every image of a team running around the floor celebrating, there’s an image of coach Ken McDonald running toward the officials, reminding them he wanted a time-out in the final seconds.

And for every doubter this season, there were the Toppers.

Off, thousands of miles away from Bowling Green, the Toppers kept this community on the edge of their seat. First was when they blew a 17-point lead in the first round game against Illinois but held onto the victory.

Two days later, the Toppers left everything they had on the Rose Garden floor. Even when they were down by nine points with two minutes to go, they proved people wrong again.

“I saw a lot of the crowd just leaving and just got quiet,” senior guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez said. “Our guys just kept their head up and still believed. At this time of the season, NCAA tournament, anything can happen.”

When it was all said and done Saturday night in Portland, Topper fans sat stunned.

The ride was over.

For the first weekend during the NCAA Tournament, America was given a glimpse of what Western basketball is all about.

They saw junior forward Jeremy Evans show he was more than a basketball player, taking time to draw a portrait of CBS analyst Dan Bonner.

They saw no matter how much the Toppers are doubted, they don’t quit fighting. No matter how many points they’re down, no matter how much time is left.

They saw Mendez-Valdez, the heart and soul of Western basketball, go diving into Gonzaga guard Matt Bouldin, securing a loose ball and getting it to sophomore forward Steffphon Pettigrew, who dunked it with a minute to go.

They saw McDonald, who, like many before him at Western, is a talented young coach.

For two days, Western tried to dance as Cinderella. And when it looked like the glass slipper was going to fit for a second year, the clock struck midnight in a heartbreaking fashion.

“If we were down by 10 or 12 (points), it wouldn’t be as bad,” Mendez-Valdez said. “But the heat of the moment got really emotional. I didn’t really get too emotional until I got to the locker room, and Coach was talking about the year and how these guys stepped up. I’m really just going to miss a lot of these guys and the program, itself. That’s where I really got emotional about the game.”

Western ignored every doubter, proving them wrong time and time again. There were, no doubt, growing pains, but when people look back, they won’t say 2009 was a transition or rebuilding year for Western.

They’ll say it was a pretty amazing year.

“Just a great ride,” McDonald said. “A great ride this season. I told the team I wasn’t for a minute going to talk about anything but that. It’s been an incredible, incredible year.”