Surprise, No Surprise

Tuesday's win in Lincoln will be a benchmark for the remainder of the season.

On offense, ISU was composed, efficient, and usually made the extra pass to find the player ready to shoot. Granted, you always look better when the ball goes in the hole, but ISU generally took makeable shots, and converted Husker turnovers into at least 25 points.

On defense, Nebraska never got into the flow. For every time they broke the press and scored a layup they twice turned it over, or otherwise looked nervous when running the offense. Both teams tried to surprise the other with shifting defensive looks; only Nebraska was rattled by it.

There will be several nights over the next two months that we will collectively ask: "Why can't they play the way they did in Lincoln?" I expect every team in the XII will have a near-perfect night, and some horrid nights as well. While the league is even (but for Texas), each team has a major weakness. When teams hide the weakness, they win; when opponents expose the weakness, the team loses.

I was surprised that KU choked a 9 point lead in 90 seconds; I was surprised that ISU didn't just win in Lincoln, they were in control for most of the game. When surprises become the norm, they are no longer surprises.

Normalcy ahead!

Peterclone