The game thread toxicity carries into the postgame. Fabulous.
The beautiful thing about basketball is that you settle the issue on the floor. Yes, there is the occasional foreign influence of refs who may not be up to the task. But that factor needs to be eliminated from one’s thinking. Because that’s not where losing really comes from.
It is about talent. It is about will. It is about desire. It is about execution. All of this is settled on the floor. Out in the open. You get your chance against your opponent. You either meet that challenge or you don’t. No middle ground. No mysteries.
And if you don’t prevail... you tip your hat to the guys that beat you. And you try to get better. You don’t feel sorry for yourself because that’s for losers. You let the bitter taste of defeat foul the insides your mouth and you use that bad flavor as additional motivation to not have to taste that nastiness again.
The Illini have issues. We’ve seen that all season. They are a mixture of puzzle pieces that just don’t quite fit.
The best news is that the Season is not over. The Illini have yet another chance to find some redemption. The bad news is that maybe the Illini may have to face Penn State ANOTHER TIME YET AGAIN.
To amend an old saying... Beat me once, shame on you. Beat me twice, shame on ME. Beat me Three Times... and it’s not ‘shame’ any more. It’s that the issue has been settled on the court. Three times. The glaring, blaring, harsh light of Truth.
Unless you get ONE MORE TRY...