NEW ORLEANS — Rarely has a national title seemed to yield so little to celebrate. The starting five for the champion Kentucky Wildcats — a mix of freshmen and sophomores — are expected to enter the N.B.A. draft, and never again play for the college they ever so briefly attended.

Mark Emmert, the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, had already expressed regret that the N.B.A.’s so-called “one-and-done” rule allows universities to recruit athletes who show little interest in getting an education. That said, Emmert was not going to be forfeiting any of the tens of millions of dollars his organization made as a result of the tournament the Kentucky team was so spectacular in winning.

For his part, John Calipari, the Kentucky coach, said he did not like the state of affairs, either. But he said he nonetheless was going to hit the recruiting trail this week to seal deals with the best high school players in the country, and see if he could repeat the feat: persuade talented teenagers to spend seven months or so with him in pursuit of a college title and maybe National Basketball Association riches.

The confetti inside the Louisiana Superdome on Monday night, then, showered a remarkable basketball team, but also fell with a certain joylessness on a college sport many believe has been cynically compromised.