Unaccountably, the postgame interview turned into a pep talk.

Jeff Brightwell, from the Memphis radio network, had just asked guard Kendric Davis if he was happy that the Tigers play again so quickly, so they won’t have to let the gut-punch loss to Seton Hall linger.

Calkins: Good news, Memphis. Kendric Davis is who we thought he was.

Davis wasn’t buying it.

“Honestly?” he said. “The hardest ones are the ones like this. Deep down inside, human nature, you want to play for first place. That’s what we came here for.”

Davis said the Memphis players were crying in the locker room. He said it would be difficult to bounce back.

“Somehow, we got to,” he continued. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Which is when Trey Draper — the former Memphis guard, who is helping out on the radio broadcasts — decided to skip the questions and deliver a motivational speech. He told Davis that it was up to him to lead the team back from this one. He told him he had gotten a direct message from Grizzlies star Desmond Bane, saying how impressed he was by Davis’ play.

Calkins: The perfect way to retire No. 59 — with a 59-0 win

“You got 18 hours; this doesn’t define you!” Draper said. “You go get the win tomorrow!”

Win one for the Draper, anyone?

Because Thursday’s 70-69 loss to Seton Hall isn’t going to be easy to get over. And not just because Seton Hall won it on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by a 6-10 Canadian who had taken exactly one 3-pointer this season before the game began.

That one missed; this one banked in. Which allowed the TV crew to get off a good line — “the bank is open on Thanksgiving” — while sending Memphis to crushing defeat.

But that, alone, is not why Davis needed the pep talk. It’s everything that happened before that.

“We gave that game away,” he said. “Like, we gave it away. That’s what makes it harder. We gave it away.”

That’s three “we gave it aways” in the man’s opening statement. And he was not wrong.

The Tigers would have won the game if Alex Lomax hadn’t missed a two-footer with 1:13 left that would have given the Tigers a 6-point lead.

Calkins: The Tigers lost to Saint Louis. And you know what? It’s fine.

They would have won the game if Elijah McCadden hadn’t missed two free throws with nine seconds left.

They would have won the game if Chandler Lawson had just held onto the ball after rebounding the second of those misses, instead of trying to pass it and turning the ball over.

And that’s just the small stuff.

Bigger picture?

The Tigers would have won the game if DeAndre Williams hadn’t fouled out after playing just 10 minutes; if Lomax hadn’t been minus-10 in his 31 minutes of play; if the Tigers not named Davis or Malcolm Dandridge had managed to shoot better than 4 of 11 from the line. 

And, sure, the Tigers would have won if a 6-10 Canadian named Tyrese Samuel hadn’t banked in a shot he wasn’t even supposed to take. The play was designed to go to Jamir Harris. But the Tigers denied Harris the ball. So there was Samuel, a non-shooter, hoisting one up.

Calkins: At long last, a Memphis team that may be better than its hype

“I knew it would be a bank shot,” Samuel said. “I was like, ‘This might actually go in.”

Yes, that was his reaction.

This might actually go in.

“Probably won’t shoot another one all year,” Davis said. “Luck just didn’t fall our way.”

Which is too bad, given the admirable effort the Tigers expended. Nobody can say they gave less than they had. Dandridge bullied his way to 14 points in 20 minutes. Lawson played a nice game (eight points and eight rebounds) until that last killer turnover. And Davis was simply magnificent, limping off after yet another injury, then returning to collect 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

So, yeah, the Tigers should have won it. They should be playing Oklahoma in the winner’s bracket Friday. Instead, they will be playing Nebraska.

“What time is it?” asked Dandridge.

4:30 p.m.

Meaning the Tigers have less than 24 hours to replenish their health and their passion. They can’t let one loss turn into two. Unless they want to spend another season digging out of another hole, the Tigers can’t come back from Orlando with another loss on their resume.

Calkins: Kendric Davis leads cold-shooting Tigers to victory. (Get used to that headline, fans)

So listen to Draper, all you Tigers. The man has the right idea.

You can do it!

Really, you can!

This loss won’t define you!

(But another loss down there just might).