Northwestern Falls to Illinois State in Season-Opening Exhibition

By: Charlie Perlman, NUSports.com

NORMAL, Ill. — Northwestern opened its 2026-27 campaign with a 70-64 exhibition loss to Illinois State on Sunday at CEFCU Arena.

Despite the loss, all three of the Wildcats’ returning players scored in double digits, with sophomore standout Jake West leading the way, posting 14 points and a game-high seven assists. 

Illinois State alumnus and former Northwestern Special Assistant to the Head Coach Brian James had high praise for West on the WGN Radio broadcast.

“It’s his team now,” James said. “Jake has to have a good year for us to be successful and he’s capable of doing that. He’s got the respect of every coach we play, because he’s the number one guy on the scouting report.”

Capping a 50-year career in basketball 💜 Brian James tossed today’s honorary tip-off before the game. BJ is a graduate of Illinois State and recently retired following a 13-year career on the Northwestern bench. https://t.co/ex6njLzz5V

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) October 18, 2026

One of the most impressive debuts came from Bellarmine graduate transfer Jack Karasinski, who picked up right where he left off last season. The 6-foot-7 forward’s 69.3 percent true-shooting percentage last season led the nation among twenty-point plus scorers.

Against the Redbirds, Karasinski tallied 13 points on five-of-six shooting from the field with two three-pointers. 

Banks are open 🏦 https://t.co/AXywv2Meig

— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) October 18, 2026

Symon Ghai is not only a newcomer to this Northwestern program, but also to college basketball. The 7-foot-3 center finished with four points, six rebounds and two blocks, making an impact in just 10 minutes. 

After only playing basketball competitively for a couple of years, Collins praised Ghai’s performance.

“Symon is a presence,” Collins said. You see his length at the basket, he makes people miss. He’s a huge part of our future, he just needs experience.”

Northwestern will play inside Welsh-Ryan Arena for the first time in the 2026-27 season when it takes on Iowa State in its final exhibition contest on Sunday, Oct. 25. Tipoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. CT on B1G+ and WGN Radio 720.