NORMAL, Ill. –The Illinois State men's basketball team has announced that it will host the Northwestern Wildcats in an exhibition contest on Sunday, October 18 with tip-off slated for 4 p.m. inside CEFCU Arena.
Tickets for the game will go on sale on September 1. The game is not included in the season ticket package; however, season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase their reserved seats for the exhibition game at a discounted price – the availability to purchase these tickets will be in their account online, or when they call into the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office.
Traditional donor parking will apply, and the Legends Room will be available to those that qualify.
Illinois State is coming off a season in which it went 23-13, advancing to the semifinal round of the National Invitation Tournament, falling to eventual champion Auburn. The Redbirds return their top two scorers from last season in 6-9 forward Chase Walker, who averaged 13.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game en route to being named First Team All-MVC, along with 5-11 guard Johnny Kinziger who averaged 11.5 points while dishing out a team-high 119 assists.
The Wildcats had a 15-19 record, including a 5-15 mark in the Big Ten last season. The team returns three players that saw action last season including Angelo Ciaravino, who started 18 games for the Wildcats, averaging 6.3 points per game, in addition to bringing in an eight-person portal class, highlighted by guard LA Pratt who averaged 17 points per game for Northeastern last season, and 6-10 center Luke McEldon who averaged 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game at Mount St. Mary's.
To secure your 2026-27 season tickets, call the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office at 309-438-8000 or by email at tickets@ilstu.edu.
