No, the Nebraska basketball team wasn't expected to get much of a challenge in its season opener against the LeMoyne Dolphins. That wasn't really the point of Monday night's game.
The point of opening the season against LeMoyne was to get that first game that actually counts under the Huskers' belt. Head coach Fred Hoiberg also wanted to see what his team looked like in a game that counted.
Coming off the best season in Nebraska basketball history, would NU allow for a let down? Or would they come out and look like the national contender so many believe them to be? In the wake of the 106-64 victory, who were the big winners and big losers from Monday night's contest?
Winner: Connor Essegian gives Nebraska basketball another weapon
Just after the Nebraska basketball season started last year, shooting guard Connor Essegian suffered a severe injury. Now he's finally back and fully healthy, and on Monday night, he looked like the 3-point dead-eye the Huskers pulled in through the transfer portal a few years ago.
Essegian played just 7 minutes against LeMoyne, but he made the most of his time on the court, draining 3 of 5 shots (3 of 4 from beyond the arc) and going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line to tally 13 points. He also had 2 steals and 2 rebounds. Pretty insane night for so short a time out there.
Winner: Pryce Sandfort does Pryce Sandfort things for Nebraska
It wasn't his best outing, but the potential All-American led Nebraska in scoring again. Perhaps the best part of his 20 points on Monday was that he struggled a bit from the 3-point line but still managed to score inside the arc. Sandfort also hauled down five rebounds.
His dead eye abilities will show up in other games before long. For now, it's a big plus that he can score a bunch of points even he's not entirely "on."
Winner: Trevan Leonhardt does what Nebraska needs at point guard
The race for the third and final "winner" came down to Cale Jacobsen and Trevan Leonhardt. In the end, the transfer point guard got the nod because he offered what the Huskers have desperately needed at point guard for years.
While Leonhardt can score, his ball-handling and ability to dish it off to his teammates matter more. On Monday, he scored 7 points in 20 minutes, but his five rebounds and 7 assists really stood out. He also had 2 steals. If Nebraska can expect that kind of performance all season, he won't need to average double-digit scoring because his passes will generate plenty of points.
Loser: Sam Orme misses Nebraska basketball season opener
Nebraska had about as close to a perfect game as they could have, but one guy didn't get to play. After going through the pre-game shootaround, transfer forward Sam Orme didn't play at all against LeMoyne. The hope now is that he'll be healthy enough to play against Providence on November 7.
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