Today was like owning a stock that goes up like 10,000% and then watching it drop 50% in one day.
It's definitely up overall but that one day hurts.
It's good to keep a big picture perspective.
This season was the first time this program ever even GOT to the AAC semifinals. Is losing that game fun? No. But, if we are ever going to win the AAC tourney, one first has to get to the semi's, and learn what that's like. The elder statesmen of the team can pass that down, and those expectations and that learning can continue in the halls of LRS and the YC in the offseason.
We have always punched up as an athletics program. We are going through the painful growing process of becoming a program that doesn't want to just punch up forever, but to live with the pressure of being the one with the target on it's back. The one that's favored, ranked, expected to win, whatever, and then goes out and does just that. That's hard to do in one single season, and hard to do consistently over many seasons.
I do hate today but we CAN win the NIT, and that'll be another "next" for this program. In football, Memphis will be tough but we can and should compete this year - that's another "next".
Chins up Bulls Nation. For the most part all the things we've been wanting to happen, are happening, but there will be bumps and learning and lessons along the way. But we seem to finally be trying to build this thing the right way.
Oh, and hopefully some actual, juicy rendering will be here in a few weeks.