The Alabama Crimson Tide had its season come to a close on Friday night with a loss to No. 1 seed Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen, falling short of what would have been a third consecutive Elite Eight appearance.

While it was a solid effort, Michigan was ultimately just too much to handle and Nate Oats will have to go back to the drawing board this offseason to build next year’s team. With that team will come new faces, and one face Tide fans will hate to lose is senior guard Houston Mallette.

Mallette — who transferred to Alabama before last season and spent the last two years in Tuscaloosa — has spoken often this season about how much he loves the school, but he took it to a new level with the way he exited the arena in Chicago.

A team manager snapped a photo of Mallette walking to the team bus still in his jersey just because he didn’t want to take it off.

“We are incredibly close,” Mallette said of his teammates when asked to reflect on their final game together. “This was the best year of my life, the most enjoyable year of my life, and I’m sad because I never want to take off this Crimson Tide jersey and I’m sure these guys don’t either…but we really love each other.”

It’s the second viral bleeding Alabama moment for Mallette this tournament, who after a huge career showing in the second round victory over Texas Tech said he “will die” for this school and how much he loves it.

While his time playing for the Tide may have come to a close, it’s safe to say Alabama fans will be embracing him as one of their own for the rest of time.