While teams like Duke and Kentucky are putting away uniforms this week, Nebraska is boarding airplanes and lacing sneakers.
Sure, it's not for the NCAA Tournament, where inevitable media obsession has thrived and some traditional powers have crumbled. But the Cornhuskers made their own news in recent days by trouncing Charlotte 67-48 in the opening round of the 2008 MasterCard National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday.
Tonight they'll try to steal a few more headlines, and they'll have to shake off a lingering past to do it. No. 3-seeded Nebraska begins the second round of NIT action tonight at 8:05 p.m. by playing at No. 2-seeded Mississippi.
The Huskers, though, have a 2-8 record on the road this season and a handful of stories to go with it. Yet history is the last thing on their minds at this point.
"We're just taking each game one game at a time," said NU sophomore guard Sek Henry. "We're all just staying focused and just not worrying about the crowd and all that."
The Huskers didn't do that in November, however, when they lost to Creighton at the Qwest Center Omaha in their first road test of their year. Nebraska fell behind 47-20 by halftime, and players cited nerves and inexperience as reasons.
Little changed in the coming weeks. The Huskers lost their first four true road games and fell to the bottom of the Big 12 Conference standings. In January, they stumbled at lowly Colorado and got throttled at Kansas.
"I think the beginning was basically like postseason," Henry said. "Our momentum was down."
Then there was the infamous collapse at Iowa State in February, when Nebraska watched a 24-11 halftime lead mold into a 60-52 loss. Playing outside of Lincoln seemed to bring imminent doom.
Still, the Huskers weren't helpless away from the Bob Devaney Sports Center, giving several NCAA Tournament teams some worthy scares.
One NU road loss in December came at the hands of Western Kentucky in a 69-62 overtime heartbreaker. The Hilltoppers, of course, went on to upset Drake with a buzzer-beating shot in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this weekend and are now among the final 16 teams in the tourney.
And the Huskers won at Texas A&M in February, even though freshman guard Cookie Miller went down with a shoulder injury in the middle of the contest. Then the Huskers nearly upset Texas on its home court on March 4 before falling 70-66.
"I think we played well on the road pretty much all year," NU Coach Doc Sadler said.
Nebraska might have to top those performances tonight. A loss to Mississippi would end its season for good.
But now is a better time than ever for a road trip, said junior guard Ade Dagunduro.
"Going into the season, we had a lot of young guys," Dagunduro said. "But now I think we prepare a lot for the road."
Miller, Dagunduro and junior guard Steve Harley highlight the newcomers who see plenty of action on the court. The atmosphere of Division I crowds was a new experience for them a few months ago.
Then again, that was the past.
While many teams clean lockers today, Nebraska plays on. Its history on the road, though rocky, has come and gone. Only a bout for survival remains.
"Despite that we had tough times on the road this year, I think now we're in a situation where our guys are seasoned vets now," Dagunduro said. "So hopefully we can play well with our backs against the wall."
MICHAELMCHALE@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
