It’s one regular season loss.

This glitch shouldn’t affect your opinion of this basketball team or its chances of cutting down the nets in St. Louis.

In Monday’s Chicago Tribune, beat reporter Marlen Garcia exclaimed that the team “returned home to Champaign humiliated.”

I wouldn’t necessarily utilize the word humiliating to describe a 29-1 season and a second straight Big Ten title.

There was, however, some hurt associated with the loss that left Illini fans with a piercing pain in their chests and clenched fists.

In 2002, the Ohio State football team came to Memorial Stadium with an undefeated record and dreams of a national championship.

Of course, the Buckeyes came out of Champaign with a thrilling overtime victory en route to an eventual title.

However, everybody in these parts knows that Walter Young got one foot in the end zone in overtime.

My friends and I gleefully reminded Ohio State of this fact as we wandered Columbus on Saturday night.

In fact, we were chanting Illinois fight songs and flaunting our basketball prowess from the minute we arrived Saturday afternoon until Matt Sylvester hoisted that three pointer with only seconds remaining.

It really is an amazing feeling journeying through un-chartered collegiate waters when your school’s team is ranked No. 1.

We felt like kings – like we could do or say anything that came to mind. We were and still are so boastful of this basketball team that our actions might have meandered beyond the boundaries of good taste.

This included yelling about Ohio State’s self-imposed basketball sanctions, taunting students about the Maurice Clarett debacle and committing a public act of indecency at a respected Chinese takeout establishment (If you are ever in Columbus, don’t touch the door at Wong Gui).

Our fun was quickly ruined by the Buckeye basketball team, as well as their fans.

As we were walking to the game on Sunday, a rabid Ohio State fan spit on my friend’s Dee Brown jersey.

The “magic loogie” was clearly a Keith Hernandez-esque moment and set the tone for what would transpire later in the day.

But I guess that’s the beauty of collegiate athletics – pure hatred, intense matchups and a genuine dislike of an entire state.

Now that the trip is over, more important matters can be dealt with and discussed.

There is no doubt in my mind that this team will respond accordingly to its lone loss of the season.

While the Big Ten Tournament probably doesn’t mean anything in terms of the Illini’s seeding, it is a grand opportunity for them to regain momentum heading into the NCAA tournament.

While Illinois has been the best team in the country over the last few weeks, its performance has not been as dominant as earlier in the season.

It has become apparent that the Illini play up to their level of competition – I’m sure Wake Forest, Gonzaga and Michigan State can attest to that.

For Illini fans, this is definitely a good sign heading into the tournament.

The Big Ten tourney is a chance for the Illini to play their best basketball of the season before the games really mean something.

If they do, it will just be more fodder for us to use as weapons against other schools. Then again, this regular season has given us much needed artillery for years to come.