Equally uplifting alongside volleyball's run to the Final Four is the upcoming talent that UI coach Chris Tamas will have to work with. They'll continue to draw optimistic crowds.
And it's encouraging to hear Dan Hartleb, with all those young mound returnees, call his freshman class "the best" in his 14 years as Illini head baseball coach. They'll be highly competitive for years to come.
It's the nature of fans and media to look ahead ... and that brings us to what should be Josh Whitman's greatest concern in the sport that (money-wise) matters most.
Where is football coach Lovie Smith taking us?