After two victories in the NCAA Tournament, No. 3 Kentucky's March Madness run came to an end at the hands of No. 2 Tennessee, who rolled to a 78-65 win in the Sweet 16 on Friday evening.

The Wildcats were understandably emotional after the game, not wanting to accept the fact that their season—the program's first with coach Mark Pope at the helm—was over.

But that raw emotion led to a beautiful moment between Pope and senior guard Lamont Butler as the two were walking through the tunnel of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, after the game.

Butler, walking behind Pope, saw his crestfallen coach put his face in his hands. The senior guard then put his arm around Pope and embraced the first-year coach as the two continued to grieve the end of the season. Check out the special moment, which was captured by WLWT-TV's Charlie Clifford.

Pope, who played two seasons for the Wildcats in the 1990s, experienced the lows of an Elite Eight defeat, as well as the highs of a national championship victory during his collegiate career. He's uniquely positioned to really empathize with his players because he's felt the exact emotions they're feeling right now.

But Pope also wants his players to hold their heads high for what they accomplished this season.

"It's just being relentless about it, just what these guys did to set an incredible foundation, giving us a great beginning," Pope said when asked about building the roster "from scratch." "They set a really high standard. They set a high standard on the court, and a higher standard in the locker room and off the floor. They set an incredibly high standard representing the University of Kentucky, representing BBN and representing this jersey, and I'm grateful for that.

"That standard will carry us for a long time. We'll be talking about these guys 10 years from now as the guys that came in here and set a standard of what this is supposed to be, how you're supposed to carry yourself as a Kentucky basketball player, how you're supposed to connect yourself with your teammates. We'll set this as a standard for the future. I'm very proud of these guys.

"What was done has never been done before actually. In so many ways, it's never been done before and it's because they're really, really, really special, special young men."

The feeling is mutual among Butler and his Kentucky teammates, each of whom expressed their confidence in what Pope can achieve in the future.

The loss may sting now, but the future is bright in Lexington.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mark Pope, Lamont Butler Share Emotional Moment After Kentucky's NCAA Tournament Loss.