You shouldn’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Weeks later, a bag of decomposing beets in the crisper will be a reminder that you were a prisoner of the moment.

It’s also a recipe for regret to draw conclusions about a team after its best or worst stretches. But, what the hell, I’m throwing that tin of Vienna sausages in the cart. I’m officially optimistic about the direction of the Missouri basketball team.

This two-week turnaround has been a combination of happy accident and deserved reward. Regardless of how Missouri got here, it now has the NIT on the table for this season. It also has realistic hope that even without a major talent transfusion in the offseason, it has the pieces to be an NCAA Tournament team next year.