Iowa 77, Minnesota 75
With under four or five minutes left in the game, after the Gophers had stormed back from a 17-point deficit, I told myself I would turn the TV off and end the torture of watching another second half collapse by the Hawkeyes. I had seen that same movie too many times before and I really did not want to watch it again. With around 3:12 left, Joey King nailed a three-pointer to put the Gophers up 73–69. I reached for the remote, turned off the TV, and stood to head downstairs.
However, I didn’t go. I stood in the living room, the guilt of giving up hope weighing me down. “No,” I thought. “I can’t do this.” If Iowa truly was going to collapse and lose the game, it was better to watch and endure it, to toughen myself for the rest of the season — to not give up, no matter how bad it got. Plus, there was still a chance…
I grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.
