Gonna just focus on two bits of this post. First, the second comment I've kept: I think we all -- even us younger fans -- can understand the reason for the general pessimism that can come with being a lifelong Illini fan. It's only natural when you have multiple (or many, many multiple) years in which you've felt like "this is it, we can finally win it this year" only to be letdown with a crushing loss, whether in the NC game or in the first round of the tourney. After awhile, it's easier to mentally prep for the worst rather than go through that cycle again.
THAT said, and on the other hand, your reference to the Lou Henson seasons with frustrating losses highlights just how far your expectations have shifted in the span of 3 years, and I think it's important to recognize the accomplishments that have generated that shift and contextualize them. Lou didn't make the NCAA tourney until his sixth season at the helm, and it took until his eighth to start stringing together consecutive appearances. Now, as bad as the late Weber and Groce eras were we did not reach the same extended depths that Lou had to drag us out of, but still, BU's tenure as coach has ushered in a new era where we can now
expect to be a tourney team again and anticipate some years in which we might go on a deep run or win the B1G. Does that mean we'll have letdowns, like last year against Loyola? Absolutely. But even that letdown was accompanied by winning the BTT (for only the third time in our history!!) and being at the top of the conference all season long. For the last 3 seasons (including this one), we've been able to enjoy watching more Big Ten games where the good guys come out on top than at any point since Dee Brown was around.
Or how about this: Underwood is the first coach since Henson that has both recruited AND coached the major players on a team that won over 70% of its conference games, and he's done it twice (last year plus this year, so far at least). I will take those highs (or perpetual state of winning more than losing) with the occasional big letdowns every single time over the alternative, which is season-long so-so doldrums with the occasional high (like beating #1 Indiana while unranked). More importantly, I will embrace the hope his recent success has brought, even if that means some old scars might occasionally be reopened. Whenever you need a reminder of the bigger picture after a lousy showing, just go to
this page and starting clicking forward through the next decade of Big Ten season standings, and remember...while we may not have found the holy grail, at least we're no longer in the company of those schools that start with "N"