Surprise doesn’t accompany most Big Ten women’s basketball games.

The participants usually are as aware of one another’s pasts and tendencies as the opposing sides of a family feud. Memories are long. Counters to haymakers are to be expected.

Enter 20th-ranked Nebraska tonight at Value City Arena and a surprise or two at least seems a possibility for No. 10 Ohio State.

The game marks the first conference meeting between the teams since the Cornhuskers (15-2, 4-1) left the Big 12 to join the Big Ten this season. The surprise possibility cuts both ways.

Ohio State (17-1, 4-1) last faced Nebraska in Lincoln when point guard Samantha Prahalis, the only Buckeyes senior, was a freshman in 2008.

She has never played against Nebraska junior point guard Lindsey Moore, who is second to Prahalis in assists in the conference.

“I’ve heard she’s pretty good,” Prahalis said. “I like playing against good players. I like playing against the best players. It’s the only way you can get better or challenge yourself or see where you stand.”

Prahalis said she expects the conference matchup to have a different feel “because they’re new to the league and we haven’t seen them yet and haven’t seen them in a few years.”

The Buckeyes will have watched film by the opening tip. They already have looked at the statistics and know the Huskers hold road victories against Penn State and Iowa this season.

Nebraska is averaging 75.4 points. The most recent Ohio State game, a 64-58 victory at Michigan State on Sunday, had a definite Big Ten feel.

“When we went to Michigan State, it was more like they wanted to wrestle us,” Prahalis said. “We want to play ball. But Nebraska and Penn State and other teams like to get up and down (the court). That’s how we like to play.”

Coach Jim Foster expects the first meeting with the Huskers to offer a new challenge for the Buckeyes.

“Their style is different, which is good,” he said. “It’s more reflective of what you see in the NCAA Tournament. This is sort of a free shot at that.

“They (use) three forwards. A lot of teams have gone to three guards. I don’t think that there are a lot of three-forward teams. And their point guard (Moore) is good enough, if she has the ball the amount of time she does, to make that work.”

The Buckeyes have a three-guard set with Prahalis, Tayler Hill and Amber Stokes.

“So they have a matchup problem defensively and we have a matchup problem defensively,” Foster said. “It’s whoever solves it first.”

One of the Nebraska forwards, Jordan Hooper, has had an impactful beginning to her Big Ten career.

She is averaging 19.8 points and can score inside and outside.

“Probably more than one-third of her shots (are three-pointers),” Foster said. “And she has a strong post-up. She’s a good player.”

jmassie@dispatch.com