I think we are on the same page. The Underwood Era has been an emotional roller coaster ... on one hand, during our BTT run in 2021 on the way to a #1 seed, that MIGHT have been the best any Illini team has looked in history for a short stretch other than 1989, 2005 and maybe a few select other teams. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but we honestly looked unstoppable. Then the Loyola gut punch absolutely devastated our fan base while we felt like we just got back on top of the mountain. The Kofi transfer drama plus the shaky start to 2021-22 had us down in the dumps, and then we fought back to win our first Big Ten championship in 17 years, avenging the screw job from the prior year (and let's not forget the emotions just during that one day of watching Nebraska squeak out a win in Madison and then winning an all-time classic vs. Iowa!). Then the drama of seeming like this past season was going to be a rebuilding year only to RELOAD with a vengeance, look AMAZING in November and early December, come crashing down circa the Skyy departure and then pretty much go up-and-down-etc. for the rest of the year.
We have been through a lot just in the last three seasons, and that isn't even looking at the shltshow that was COVID and the rebuilding years before that. It's hard to keep perspective, but looking at our lack of recent NCAAT success another way ... we haven't made it back to where we were circa 2006 yet, and we cannot hold Underwood the standard like we have. He's in the MIDDLE of building up our program again. The beginning ended when we were "back" in 2021, and we are now in the middle part where we need to keep recruiting up and keep getting back to the NCAAs and keep giving it our best shot. He has us back in the conversation where we will almost always be a threat to be a top 25 team the following year depending on transfer pickups ... that is about as good as you can ask for in this new college hoops world!