Having an exhibition game and/or scrimmage definitely would have come in handy for an Illinois State basketball team which is tied for the youngest in school history.
Instead, the Redbirds were thrown right into the season opener against a top-25 ranked team — and were clearly overmatched.
"They get different recruits. They were more physical and bigger than us," said ISU sophomore guard DJ Horne after No. 23 Ohio State easily handled the Redbirds, 94-67, on Wednesday. "That first game was a good test to see where we can improve."
ISU had two full days in Columbus, Ohio, to work on plenty of things before taking the court again.