AUSTIN, Texas — It was all too much.

As Brandon Paul exited the court for the final time of his collegiate career, he simply couldn’t stand the bright lights he so frequently shines under. Overcome with emotion, Paul covered his face with his jersey and slowly made his way into the bowels of the locker room.

The senior guard and the No. 7-seeded Illini were on the wrong end of another March thriller, falling just short to No. 2 Miami, 63-59.

Illinois hung tough against a loaded Canes team that will contend for an NCAA Championship in the next few weeks, even leading to the final minute of the game, and Paul was one of the major reasons why.

In his final game, Paul put forth maybe the gutsiest effort of his career. Time and time again during the second half, Paul carried the Illini offense, refusing to allow it to suffer through one of the droughts that has haunted it throughout the season. His energy and aggressiveness flowed through the team and the crowd, with two thunderous dunks thrilling the arena and proving Illinois belonged on the same court as the much-hyped Hurricanes.

And yet, following the loss Paul will face questions from critics who believe he let his team down by not taking the most important shot of the game.

Illinois led 55-54 with 1 minute, 24 seconds remaining following a Tracy Abrams free throw, and Miami put the ball in the hands of its best player, point guard Shane Larkin. The sophomore utilized a ball screen on the right wing, probing toward the baseline before planting with his left foot and draining a near impossible step-back 3-pointer with D.J. Richardson’s hand in his face.

On the ensuing possession, with Illinois trailing by two and with less than a minute to play, Paul found himself with the ball on the left wing. He knifed into the lane as he had done with great success all game, slicing across as the Miami defense shifted to contain him. Paul lifted into the air, poised to shoot. But spotting Richardson spotted up open in the opposite corner, Paul fired a pass out to his fellow senior. Richardson rose up and promptly air balled the three, and the Hurricanes managed to secure possession when the ball bounced out of bounds on a questionable call.

Two plays, two vastly different results. On one end, Larkin commands the ball and the moment, stepping up like the star that he is and sending Miami to the Sweet 16. One the other, Paul chooses to put his teammate in a position to succeed, but the Illini are going home for the year.

Critics killed LeBron James for years for consistently making the same decision as Paul did. These critics are fools. Paul made the right basketball play, the play that gave his team the best chance to win. He dished the ball to one of his team’s most prolific shooters in Richardson, a fellow four-year senior who has gone through thick and thin with Paul.

The fact that Richardson missed, and by a mile, doesn’t mean Paul was wrong. You can’t judge if a decision is right or wrong by the ultimate outcome. Basketball is a team game — a game that requires utmost trust of your teammates and knowledge of each individual’s role on the team. Paul’s role is to generate offense for the Illini. Richardson’s role is to knock down threes. Paul trusted his teammate and was unfortunate in the result.

But in trusting Richardson in of his final decisions in the college game, Paul proved once and for all his transformation as a player from a me-first scorer who didn’t know how to be a leader into a consummate teammate and creator. His legacy at Illinois has always been that of an inconsistent player, a player that will rise to some moments but fade from others, a mercurial underachieving talent.

Paul’s performance Sunday night altered that. The Illini fell short of their goal, but Paul carried them far beyond where anyone expected them to be and carried them to the wire against one of the finest teams in the country. He helped lay the foundation for what figures to be a promising tenure for John Groce.

Paul has nothing to hang his head about. He answered every question any critic ever raised with his performance Sunday night.

Daniel is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and @danielmillermc.