What a great night! Big road test, tough place to play, #9 vs. #12.
What do the Gophers do? Go into Champaigne and take one from the Illini, making a nice little statement.
There are not many sports games I get too worked up about; if fact, I never really lose sleep over the outcome...for that it would take something pretty monumental. I've lived through '98 Vikes vs. Atlanta, wide-right. 41-Donought. 12 men in the huddle @ New Orleans. Continuous crushing of the Twins by the Yankees in the post-season. T-Wolves 1st Round exits. Wild lost seasons. Brewster.
But Gophers Hoops? Always #1. I remember being crushed when the academic scandal hit; I'm still bitter when people feel the need to insist that 96-97 "didn't happen." Yes, it did, and it was glorious. As were the runs made to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 by Burton, Coffee, Lynch and everyone else on those teams in the 80s.
I'm enjoying watching this Gophers team play more than any other since 96-97. That's why I'm so excited, and that's why I don't it to end anytime soon. I know they'll lose more this year; with the schedule and conference that's inevitable.
What's important is the joy one can get from watching a solid team play, and how that can sometimes help a guy get through some long, cold winter nights.
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