Boy, did they make a statement. However, it was not one the Redbird faithful were hoping for.
ISU lost 92-65 to the Fighting Illini on Oct. 19 and then lost 100-65 to Northwestern on Oct. 29.
You never want to overreact to exhibition games that have no impact on your regular-season record. But you would have to be a statue not to have some takeaways from these two games.
1. Defense Looks Dreadful
Do I expect a team led by Chase Walker, Johnny Kinziger and Jack Daugherty to be a powerhouse on the defensive side of the ball? No. Do I expect a team to give 100% defensive effort in a game that does not matter? No. However, do I expect the team to give a better effort than when your mom tells you to clean your room right before you are leaving to hang out with your friends? Yes.
Fast break points showcase who wants it more, and it appeared the Redbirds were flying with injured wings. UIUC outscored ISU 15-3 in fast-break points, and the Wildcats outscored the Redbirds 19-5. Those numbers are far off from what is considered a respectable standard.
Both the Fighting Illini and Wildcats shot 51% from the field against the Redbirds. It is undeniable that the Redbirds have the firepower on the offensive side to keep up in shootouts. Yet it is a proven fact that it is harder to win if the team you are going against consistently shoots 51% from the field.
Defensive leaders Dalton Banks and Jordan Davis are no longer with the program. The defensive protegee Cameron Barnes must step up when he returns from injury. The six-foot-nine forward is the epitome of what modern basketball is. A stretch four who can guard the perimeter and defend the paint. Barnes may be the saving grace for a defense that was lackluster in its opening two contests.
2. TyReek Coleman Will Hurt an Upperclassman's Feelings
It is early in Ryan Pedon’s coaching career with Illinois State. One thing has been apparent during his tenure, he is not a fan of giving freshmen minutes. It took Kinziger scoring 35 points against ranked Indiana State and Daugherty making seven threes against Bradley to break them into the rotation.
Pedon shouldn’t wait much longer to give Coleman serious playing time.
Coleman scored 12 points against the Wildcats and 9 points against the Fighting Illini. The difference with him is that he does not score like the other guards. In last night’s matchup, Boden Skunberg, Ty Pence, Landon Wolf and Mason Klabo shot a combined 2-of-17 from beyond the arc. Coleman uses his athleticism to attack the rim, generating five free throw attempts.
Successful basketball teams have players who can play different roles. Walker dominates the paint, Daughtery controls the three-point line and Kinziger roams anywhere. The rest of the team can not chuck and pray, hoping for the best. Coleman brings diversity in his scoring, which pairs nicely with his playmaking and defensive hustle.
3. Chase Walker is Better than Expected
In what was now considered a poor game for his standards, Walker scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in his 19 minutes of play. A person who has never watched basketball can look at Walker and realize his strengths are outmuscling people in the paint for buckets and rebounds.
But that was not his most impressive trait of the night. What caught my eye was his passing. Four assists are not an award-winning accomplishment. That said, the reads he was making for being a six-foot-ten, 270-pound center must be recognized. Walker was finding drivers on back-door cuts and making cross-court passes to open three-point shooters.
Walker was the MVC Most Improved Player of the Year. His adding another level to his game is something that should intimidate the rest of the valley. The only way to stop Walker last season was to harass him with double teams. That strategy may now be nerfed if Walker can continue to find open three-point shooters.
Simply put, this was an underwhelming start to the 2025-26 campaign for Illinois State. People must realize that these games were only an exhibition. If you only pay attention to the box scores, you will not see the bright spots in those moments. The Redbirds showcased strengths that should excite fans moments before the regular season begins.