Freddie Barnes couldn't believe it. Monroe Brown didn't realize it until he walked into the locker room. DeRon Hayes tried not to think about it.

"I know I'll probably never play with them again," Hayes said sadly after Wednesday night's 67-65 loss to Pitt, his last game with seniors Barnes, Brown and Dave Degitz.

Besides losing and getting knocked out of the NIT, Wednesday's game signaled the sudden end of the Monnie-Freddie-Dave era -- an era that saw the Lions win 87 games and enter four straight postseason tournaments. And for the first time in their careers, they bowed out in the first game of a tournament.

Win or lose, Coach Bruce Parkhill is sorry to see the era come to a close.

"It's sad," Parkhill said. "When these three guys reflect back, I think they'll feel really good.

"I know I'll feel really good about what they meant to the program. They're the kind of guys that are going to be real successful when they move on. We're really going to miss them."

Degitz finished his outstanding career with a flaring back problem. But he still battled like a warrior, as he has done throughout his career.

Barnes, though, can't believe that his Penn State career is over.

"It's been great," said Barnes. "The coaching staff, the players, the fans. I'm so happy I chose Penn State. I knew after I visited, that this was going to be the right place to me. It seemed like it went so fast."

Once Brown entered the lockeroom, he knew it was over.

"It hit me once I got in the locker room," said Brown. "I realized that it was my last time playing.

"Now, I'm going to take some time off. I'll feel better if I have some basketball opportunities. But it's a long wait for that."

Brown also appreciated the 6,970 in attendance.

"It was a nice crowd," he said. "I hadn't seen a crowd like that since my sophomore year. You got to play big-name people for people to show up."

Years from now, people may refer to this Pitt game as a fitting exit, not with the loss, but as an opportunity to play for an emotional crowd on ESPN, in nothing short of a nailbiter.

"It's sort of hard," Barnes said of the game. "It was a tough game. They deserved to win. They rose to the challenge."

After Chris McNeal gave Pitt a 67-65 lead with 11 seconds left, the Lions still had a chance to tie or win it with a 3-pointer. Brown had two cracks at it.

"The first shot was a good shot," said Brown. "But the second one I rushed because I wasn't quite sure how much time was on the clock."

Notes: In 13 home games this season, the Lions averaged 5,145 fans per game, the school's sixth highest figure . . . Wednesday's loss to Pitt gives the Lions a 5-5 all-time record in the NIT . . . Barnes moved into third place on the all-time scoring chart with his 19-point effort Wednesday. His 1,342 points surpasses Ed Fogell . . . Barnes' four assists gave him 600 for his career . . . Hayes' 20-point effort moved him into sixth place on the scoring list. He now has 1,194 points.