It’s funny how the feelings between basketball season and football season are. In football, every game is meaningful solely because of whether you win or lose. If you lose, you search around for other ways to get meaning out of a season. It’s why fans of the two loss Tar Heels are so pessimistic now because of what was in front of them and what was lost with so much left to play.
Basketball is more of a marathon, and success is usually defined by how you do in the NCAA Tournament. With a bigger field and plenty of at-large spots, you’re allowed to watch games for the bigger picture, and not necessarily care about whether your win or lose but how you win or lose.