GREENSBORO, N.C. — Oscar Tshiebwe and Lance Ware faced their lockers. CJ Fredrick had tears in his eyes. Aside from the shuffling of feet, silence reigned inside Kentucky's locker room at Greensboro Coliseum Sunday evening.

The sixth-seeded Wildcats' 2022-23 campaign ended at the hands of No. 3-seed Kansas State, 75-69, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

It brought an end to an underachieving season for UK (22-12). The Wildcats returned the reigning unanimous player of the year in Tshiebwe, experienced complementary pieces around him and another stellar recruiting class — starting the year as a top-five squad with hopes of making an 18th Final Four and winning a ninth national title.

But things never came together for this group, which battled injuries all season and suffered stunning losses — to South Carolina at home and at Georgia — along the way.

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It’s yet another disappointing early exit for Kentucky.

Last season, the Wildcats lost to Saint Peter’s in a 15-over-2 upset in the first round. And UK failed to qualify for the Big Dance during the 2020-21 season. The last time Kentucky appeared in the Sweet 16 was 2019. (The NCAA Tournament was canceled in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.)

An Elite Eight berth was almost automatic in John Calipari's first six years in Lexington. During those seasons, Kentucky reached that round five times and made four Final Fours, two national championship game appearances and won a national title in 2012.

Since UK's last Final Four in 2015, however, Kentucky has been among the final eight teams standing just twice (2017 and 2019).

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"I understand what this program is about," said Calipari, following the end of his 14th season on the job. "That's what makes it what it is, and that's why I tell players, 'This isn't for everybody,' because the expectations are so high."

Kentucky lost to a Kansas State (25-9) team that was picked to finish last in the 10-team Big 12 under first-year coach Jerome Tang and exceeded all expectations to make the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, where it will face Michigan State.

No player was better Sunday than K-State guard Markquis Nowell, who posted game-highs in points (27) and assists (nine) to help his team fend off salvo after salvo from Kentucky. He scored 23 of those points in the second half.

"I was just in attack mode the second half because I seen how they were playing me," Nowell said. "They were playing me for the pass because I dropped a lot of dimes in the first half. I tried to look for my own shot a little bit more and be more aggressive."

Nowell stole the show from Tshiebwe — who finished with yet another double-double: 25 points and a game-high 18 rebounds — and freshmen Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston.

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Wallace, who had 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, in the second half showcased why he is a projected first-round NBA draft pick should he choose to declare. He made all seven shots he took after halftime for 13 points while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out two assists.

Livingston had 11 points and seven rebounds. He made his share of plays down the stretch as UK tried to rally.

"This group has been through a lot," he said. "It was definitely a journey of ups and downs. We fought with each other. We learned a lot of things about each other."

There is a lot of change ahead.

Tshiebwe has likely played his final game at UK. Calipari said he doesn't expect any of the six seniors to return even though they all have one extra year of eligibility, granted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And Kentucky is welcoming the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.

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Tshiebwe's individual accomplishments at Kentucky the past two seasons could fill a binder, but the lack of team success — no regular-season or conference tournament championships, just one NCAA Tournament win — was the only thing on his mind.

"I'm sorry to the BBN (Big Blue Nation) because I came here to do something great," Tshiebwe said. "Two years later it did not happen."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NCAA Tournament results: March Madness ends for Kentucky basketball