Losing to Missouri has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I’m frustrated that Illinois lost a rivalry game, I feel like the team didn’t play very well, and I start thinking, “What if we’re not as good as we think we are?”
But then I calm down, and I remember that we ran Duke off its own floor less than a week ago. And then I realize that Missouri will likely be ranked in the top 25 next week. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad loss.
I’m still experiencing some cognitive dissonance though, with part of me saying, “the team isn’t as good as we think it is — this is a game Illinois should have won,” but the optimist in me says, “Illinois didn’t play its best and still only lost by 3 on the road against a likely top 25 team.