On the Road Again

Originally Published: Sep 21, 2010 8:52 AM CDT

A basketball coach once told me, "you never know what kind of team you have until your first road trip."

The road is a funny thing. Some teams fly apart. Some teams come together. The change of routine can cause you to become disoriented, uncomfortable, antsy. Opposing fans get under your skin. Youre concentration fades. You get rattled. Your comfort zone disappears.

But for some people...some teams...the opposite happens. Some teams are unified by the road. Traveling together. Strange cities together. Meeting in hotel ballrooms together. Walking into a hostile coliseum together creates a brotherhood, a common foxhole mentality. Some people...some teams...thrive in those circumstances. Senses are heightened. Concentration and focus increase. Tunnel vision occurs. The task of going into someone elses house and robbing them of victory becomes an obsession.

Will OU beat Cincinnati Saturday? Probably. They should. Theyre a better team. But Im just as interested in seeing how the Sooners handle the road. I think well get a good clue as to whether this team is made of championship calibre fibers.