I'm on the brink of a nervous breakdown

I'm seriously a little bit scared now.

For years, since I started going to Tiger basketball games in the fall of 1992, I've been saying it. Every year, almost at least, I've said, "This is the year!" And I always mean it, call it naivete or hopeless optimism or refusal to face reality. But seriously, y'all?

This IS the year.

And I'm really freaking out about it a little. I'm more nervous about each game than I would be if the team was only mediocre. Because, for reals, we could go all the way. We could go undefeated or one-defeated or whatever, but we could SERIOUSLY BE PLAYING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Georgetown was one thing. That game? That game was a thing of beauty. It was everything a college basketball game could be, the only thing missing was ME in the Forum. But then Arizona came along. This could trip them up, can they keep themselves pumped for a game after something as exhilarating as Georgetown?

Um, yeah. They can. And now? Now I'm just whipped into a tizzy, counting down each game, trying to keep myself under control while mentally figuring out how in the heck I'm going to afford to go to all 6 games in the tournament if it should happen because no way in hell am I missing it and hopefully we'll play in Little Rock for the first two games so I can find a friend with a couch or a guest room and then I can caravan with thousands of Memphis fans across the River with our flags flying on our car windows and how much fun would that be and I really cannot wait and oh gosh I better not count my chickens before they hatch because I don't want to jinx anything but still that would be so awesome I've forgotten to use punctuation.

And because of this possibility, every game has the potential to push me over the edge. Siena, tonight? Oh Lord, don't let them beat us. Anything can happen. If we beat them it's good for our RPI (currently we're no. 1, you know), and we need a good RPI come March and we really need a high seed in the tourney. Maybe it's a good thing you can't get CSS out in my new neck of the woods, because I'm not sure I could stand it. I won't be able to watch a game until the Gonzaga game. That's THREE WHOLE WEEKS away. Maybe in that time I can get a grip. But somehow? I doubt it.