The ISU men’s basketball team is learning.

After an intrasquad scrimmage and an open scrimmage with Nebraska, ISU Head Coach Hoiberg said a lot, but he wants to see them continue to build off of it.

“I thought we took steps in the right direction; I thought we got better as a team. We’ve been better after our scrimmage here this last weekend,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve had a couple very good practices, so now it’s just about getting sharp and trying to get guys to go out there with their first opportunity to play in front of the fans at Hilton Coliseum.

“I know our guys are ready for it; they’re sick and tired of beating on each other.”

Hoiberg also said the team is trying to figure out its identity. The desire is for them to be a running-style team scoring in transition consistently.

Korie Lucious also said they need to improve in transition, too, along with spacing the floor well enough so they don’t clog it up while in transition.

“If you want to be a successful running team, you have to be committed to it. Certain days, I don’t see it 100 percent of the time,” Hoiberg said. “But, we’re working on it; we’re stressing it to them, and we’re trying to get there. I don’t know if it will be there 100 percent early on in the season, but if we want to be a good transition team, we’ve got to get better.”

Hoiberg discussed the possibility of a learning curve early on in the year. Last year, Iowa State lost to the likes of Drake and Northern Iowa early on while trying to find their identity but clicked eventually.

Hoiberg did say, however, that he felt this team is further along in that process than last year’s, citing the fact that they have a true point guard and defined positions at wing and post. Last year, Hoiberg continued, they tinkered with lineups until it all came together.

For the lineup that will be starting the game, Hoiberg said they’ll decide in the next few days of practice before the game.

Regardless of the starting lineup, the team is excited to finally play against someone besides each other. Lucious, who’s played against his teammates for the last year and a half, even called it boring at times.

“Playing against my teammates for the past year and a half and then the freshmen for the summer and couple months, it’s been pretty boring,” Lucious said. “I hate to say it, but it is boring playing against the same people every day.”

He and Will Clyburn both have been counting down the days, which they said started at 11 days.

“We’re roommates, so all we do is sit at home and say ‘Ah, three days away, five days away;’ we just keep the countdown going,” Clyburn said.

The exhibition game against Minnesota State starts at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.