Let's be honest; who saw that coming? I think most of us, at least everyone not incredibly pessimistic, had us winning the game. We are the more talented team, we were at home. We were coming off of non-demanding games against Kansas State and Colorado. They were the less talented team, they were on the road, they were coming off demanding games @ Okie State, vs. Baylor and vs. Oklahoma. We were the favorites, and we were expected to win.
No one, though, saw this coming. At least, no one who put their thoughts on the internets. Some might have even predicted something approaching a twenty-point victory, but not in the same fashion. Not in a race-out-to-an-18-4-lead and never look back. It could have been much uglier. Trust me. We called off the dogs sometime in the early-going of the second half, and we still managed to end up winning by twenty.
(Nick Krug -- KU Sports)
That picture, right there, is pretty telling of the game. Even when they went all out, we were still just a little better. Oftentimes, we were a lot better. I hate to say it, this supposed to be a complete rebuilding year and all, but we were clearly the better team tonight.
The real key story, though, besides the complete domination of a pretty solid aTm club would be the emergence of Mario Little. Fifteen points is a lot, a helluva lot, and something that I certainly didn't see coming. If he can continue to be a solid, point-scoring presence, someone who can create his own shot, our offense is instantly substantially better. I promise.
OK, that's all for now. Plenty more tomorrow, but for now, soak up a great win. But, it was at home. And we've already proven we can win, and win big, at home. The key will be to win, at the very least, the gimmes on the road. I'm talking in Manhattan, in Ames, in Lincoln and in Lubbock. You win those four, lose only once on our home floor (which, after watching tonight, might not happen after all), and that's eleven wins. Poof. Automatic NCAA bid, and a potentially decent seed.
Plus, we still have an outside shot at winning the conference. I'm not giving up the dream yet, folks.