They’ve returned home.

At 4 p.m., the Michigan men’s basketball team was back where it all began — on the floor in Crisler Arena, seated and facing a section of students, alumni and fans.

The players entered the stadium through the stands, greeting the cheering fans along the way. Then they took their seats on the floor, in 24 Michigan-themed folding chairs — chairs that faced the media, the fans and the sole banner hanging above the section: the 1989 NCAA National Championship banner.

Michigan coach John Beilein addressed the crowd first, thanking the coaching staff, players and fans for their support throughout the season. The crowd’s cheers couldn’t compete with the ruckus in the arena at tipoff the night before, but the cheering was there.

After Beilein’s speech, Michigan assistant coach LaVall Jordan addressed the crowd and team, his eyes glancing up to the rafters above in between his praise for the team and their season.

“This arena will look so much nicer with another banner up there,” Jordan said.

Each player took turns introducing themselves, sharing their thoughts on the team’s tournament journey.

“It was a great journey, and Team 96 — I wouldn’t trade you guys for the world,” junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said.

“I would have loved to win the game last night, but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys sitting next to me,” freshman guard Nik Stauskas said.

“We had a goal of putting Michigan basketball back on the map,” freshman forward Glenn Robinson III said, acknowledging a goal accomplished with this season.

The comments highlighted successes, not failures.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the win yesterday, but we got a lot to be proud of,” sophomore guard Trey Burke said.

Dressed in their Adidas attire — with “WE ON” and “Leave It All On The Floor” painted across their shirts — the players seemed somber and ready to be back. Burke laughed and smiled with senior guard Eso Akunne as the other players spoke, and freshman guard Spike Albrecht was the target of jokes.

“I’ll try to be quick so you guys can hear from the legend, Spike Albrecht,” senior guard Matt Vogrich said.

After Albrecht addressed the crowd — receiving a standing ovation from the team after introducing himself — Beilein had one last request: for the team’s captain, senior guard Josh Bartelstein, to lead the team and the crowd in “Hail to the Victors” with the help of Burke, Akunne and Hardaway.

“I think these guys are champions in so many ways,” Beilein said.

Everyone sang, everyone clapped and everyone went through the motions. But after the song was over — one of the last times Team 96 will sing the fight song in Crisler in front of a crowd — they moved toward the exit while the crowd cheered on. They were ready to go.

“It’s good; it’s nice. We’ve been gone a long time, but we’re all happy to be back,” Albrecht said after the event.

The freshmen looked back on the entire journey rather than the very end.

“We had some incredible games: I mean, our game against Kansas, Trey hitting that shot, our win over Syracuse,” Albrecht said. “There were a lot of highpoints in that tournament, and we fell a little bit short, but it didn’t take away from the success of the entire season.”

For Hardaway, coming back to Crisler was an emotional experience.

“It means the world just to see our fans out there, and it’s very, very emotional when they’re here, cheering for you even after a loss, so, I mean, it takes a lot of toughness just to see that,” Hardaway said. “We’re very emotional right now.”

And while the NBA rumors swirl around his career, Hardaway said he isn’t thinking about the draft.

“I’m just reflecting on the season, talking to a lot of people and everyone’s talking about the NBA, but I’m not really focused on that right now,” he said.