CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) — For all the pomp and circumstance of a senior day, most players end their college careers away from home and for the majority with a loss.

Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner and Francisco Caffaro played the final game of their Virginia careers on Thursday, suffering a “numbing” loss at the hands of Furman in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

A glance around the UVA locker room showed a team still stunned by the last second nature of the loss, which brought an end to their season and careers for their seniors. Clark has won more games than any player in ACC and Virginia history and, despite his mistake at the center of the fallout from the first round exit, the fifth-year guard looked back fondly on his career both on and off the court.

"I loved it here,” Clark said, “It's been an awesome five years, got my degree, just sucks for it to end like this.”

The sting of the loss briefly dampens the careers of players like Clark and Gardner, as UVA still searches for the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since cutting down the nets in 2019. But taken in the broader picture the departing seniors accomplished plenty in their careers however long.

"This experience was great from arriving at Virginia to playing the ACC, the environment, the facilities, finally get to March and get to an ACC Championship,” Gardner said, “I was able to accomplish a lot, so I was glad just to get to this part.”

Caffaro still has one year of eligibility remaining, but said on Thursday coaches have known for awhile this was his last season with the Cavaliers.

"I think I'm just grateful for all the opportunities that I had,” Caffaro said, “As a basketball player, I think I've said this a couple of times, but as a basketball player you want to play, sometimes it's hard when you don't get to play, but I'm more than thankful for my time here at UVA and I'm just ready to take the next step.”

A few other players enter the offseason with decisions to make as well. Armaan Franklin also has another year of eligibility, while Reece Beekman will consider his prospects in the NBA Draft. Neither player was ready nor had they put much thought into their futures following the loss to Furman and will decide on their next steps in the coming weeks.