LINCOLN - For just a couple of moments Tuesday, it was difficult not to wonder if Nebraska was destined for a letdown following such unexpected dominance three days earlier.
The opening tip got spiked out of bounds. NU's first few possessions featured a tentative surveying of Minnesota's zone defense while the Gophers converted four easy buckets right at the rim.
But coach Tim Miles was never worried about complacency. The group spent the rest of the night proving why.
The Huskers (10-8, 2-3) followed up their largest road win since 1920 with another commanding display Tuesday night, blowing out a reeling Minnesota team 84-59 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. It was the first time in 46 years that NU recorded back-to-back, 20-point wins over conference opponents. Nebraska walloped Rutgers 90-56 Saturday afternoon.
"After that kind of awkward start," Miles said, "I thought we were really tough."
The Huskers used a 29-4 run to seize control, a surge that seemed to be sparked by the aggressive approach of senior Shavon Shields. He finished with a game-high 24 points.
He got NU's first two points by darting into the heart of Minnesota's zone and earning two free throws. He laid in a driving layup off an inbounds pass. He scored seven straight points during one stretch midway through the first half - hitting a 3-pointer, pump-faking away a defender for an easy layup and getting a nifty no-look, over-the-shoulder, set-up pass from Glynn Watson.
Miles said Shields was "terrific" Tuesday, able to create enough space for efficient scoring chances. Shields made 7 of 10 shots - and 9 of 11 free throws.
Minnesota coach Richard Pitino complimented Shields' tone-setting ability. "He wills his team to victory," Pitino said. "He's got heart. He kind of pulls everybody with him."
Shields, who made his 100th consecutive start, deferred to his teammates, who he said carried a similar attacking mentality after a sluggish first four minutes.
"Everybody made plays in the middle of the zone instead of waiting and kind of reacting, and then trying to go set up something," Shields said. "I think we just took it and went."
By halftime, the Huskers had a 21-point lead. They'd converted 16 of their 32 field goal attempts - and assisted on half of those makes. They had just five turnovers.
Pitino said NU's guards successfully dribbled past defenders too often, and the back-line bigs weren't able to rotate quickly enough. "We were getting beat off the bounce," he said.
But the Gophers (6-11, 0-5), losers of six straight and nine of their last 10, have issues beyond their woeful defense, which has now allowed the last five opponents to shoot 49 percent or better.
During NU's decisive surge in the first half, Minnesota turned the ball over seven times and shot just 2-for-10 from the field on 17 consecutive possessions.
Gopher players dribbled the basketball off their feet. They inexplicably dropped it. They airballed two 3-pointers. They waited until the final seconds of the shot clock before they started actively looking for a shot.
"We're just not a very good basketball team right now," Pitino said.
Nebraska took full advantage, just like it did against an undermanned and confidence-lacking Rutgers squad.
More stingy challenges await NU - road trips to Illinois and Michigan State are next. But the Huskers, who had lost 12 straight league games before Saturday, certainly enjoyed their second straight blowout win.
"That was really good," Shields said. "I think it was really good for our team, just from a mindset standpoint, a morale standpoint. It was good to get those two."
NOTES
» Heading into this week's action, no Big Ten player had made more 3-pointers than Andrew White (15) in league action. He made three more Tuesday. He's shooting 51.4 percent from 3-point range in five conference games.
» Freshman Glynn Watson had a career-high four steals. Junior Tai Webster tied a career high with five assists.
» Watson (knee) and senior Benny Parker (illness) were a bit limited Tuesday.
» Nebraska's scored at least 80 points in two straight conference games for the first time since 2002.
» Papillion-La Vista sophomore Ed Chang made an unofficial visit for Nebraska's game Tuesday night. Afterward, he announced on Twitter that the Huskers had extended a scholarship offer. Chang received an offer from Creighton last weekend.
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