FORT WORTH, Texas - Non-conference road games in November come in all varities. You can have a blue-blood contest like Kentucky at North Carolina played before a raucous crowd. Or you can have Nebraska at TCU before an indifferent gathering of 3,922.

A lack of emotion and enthusiasm can make it difficult for either team to play its best. And for a team like the Cornhuskers' visit to Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Wednesday night was a challenge ... and never mind that the Frogs are early in the transition to new coach Jim Christian.

The video of Nebraska's 62-50 victory isn't going to wind up in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Huskers hacked so much that the Frogs scored 27 of their points from the free throw line. And Nebraska went through a scoring drought that nearly allowed TCU to regain control.

For Nebraska coach Doc Sadler, the manner or method to a road victory doesn't matter.

"It's a great win anytime you win on the road," he said outside the Nebraska locker room. "It's huge. I don't care who it is or how you do it. Winning on the road is huge."

How huge? This huge: Nebraska had lost 12 consecutive road openers; the last time the Huskers won their first game in the opposition's gym was 1995.

The Huskers' victory also gives the Big 12 Conference a 26-1 non-conference record this season. The only blemish was Colorado's 85-82 overtime loss to Montana State on Monday night.

Nebraska spent much of the game with a five-guard lineup. That's because the Huskers have a non-center roster. Asked if there was someone who could develop into a low-post threat like 6-11 Aleks Maric (15 points, 10 rebounds per game) was last season, Sadler just shook his head.

The small lineup had a 31-30 rebound advantage. And the Huskers' quickness produced nine steals and 14 TCU turnovers. Three of those mistakes fueled a first-half 9-0 run that gave Nebraska a 32-21 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Huskers controlled the game with their defense. The Frogs made just 10-of-37 shots (27 percent) and were 3-of-19 on 3-pointers. TCU didn't score its first basket until the 12:10 mark of the first half. If not for 26 Nebraska fouls that produced 38 free throw attempts, the Frogs might not have cracked the 40-point barrier.

"We've got to clean that up," Sadler said of the foul fest.

Despite turning it over on three of their first seven possessions, Nebraska built a 44-29 lead in the first four minutes of the second half.

Like a weather forecast, the high preceded a low. Nebraska scored just five points on their next 12 possessions. TCU switched to an aggressive zone defense that could guard the perimeter without worrying about an inside threat.

Freshman Toney McCray's 3-pointer with 7:16 helped turn back the Frogs' threat. TCU had pulled to within 46-39 but McCray's basket restored a 10-point lead.

The other two points during the drought came when Paul Verlander dove to save a loose ball in front of the TCU bench. He swatted the ball to Cookie Miller, who drove, was fouled and made both free throws.

That's how a Sadler-coached team plays. And this Huskers team will need all of the floor burns it can collect.

"We haven't jelled yet but it's the beginning of the season," said Verlander, who with 11 points was the only Nebraska player in double figures. "We didn't let our offensive struggles effect our defense. We played tough defense pretty much the whole game. Our defense is our building block.

"You can't rely on having a great shooting night, especially on the road. That's when it's good to rely on your defense."