After a closed scrimmage last Sunday against Nebraska, Iowa State will get its first chance this Sunday to take the court in front of a crowd as they take on Grand Valley State in an exhibition game at Hilton Coliseum.

“Our last two days of practice have been two of our best after the Nebraska scrimmage,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg before practice on Thursday. “That’s the process right now is continuing to take steps in the right direction, continue to work our way up and try to look like a team on Nov. 12 against Lehigh [University].”

Expectations from the ISU fan base are high as four Division I transfers — Chris Allen, Chris Babb, Anthony Booker and Royce White — will make their debuts in a cardinal and gold uniform. White admitted Thursday that he has had a tough time sleeping this past week in anticipation of his first collegiate game after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

“I think our whole identity is different, and the faces you’ll see are different, but as far as the system it’s the same,” White said comparing last year’s team to this season’s. “We’re just building the system around the guys we’ve got now.”

In addition to the four transfers, the Cyclones will be breaking in a new starter at point guard after the departure of four-year starter Diante Garrett. Senior guard Scott Christopherson, who has played shooting guard over the last three seasons, will start Sunday’s game at the point.

“It’s a little different playing the point then playing the two, but I think that’s probably what’s best for our team right now,” Christopherson said. “We’ll have some different stuff to get me off the ball a little bit, I think, but I think right now with the personnel we have that that’s where I need to be.”

Division II Grand Valley State, located in Allendale, Mich., is familiar to both Hoiberg and redshirt senior guard Chris Allen. Grand Valley State’s head coach Ric Wesley coached Hoiberg as an assistant coach at Iowa State. Wesley, an assistant from 1981 to 1994 under coach Johnny Orr, actually recruited Hoiberg to come to Iowa State beginning in Hoiberg’s sophomore year at Ames High School.

“I still talk to him a lot just about the game and different things that he’s trying to do with his team and try to apply it with our guys,” Hoiberg said.

Like White, Allen will be making his ISU debut and it will be against a Grand Valley State team he’s familiar with. As a freshman at Michigan State, Allen led the Spartans with 15 points in his first college exhibition game, which was a 85-82 double overtime upset loss to Grand Valley State. That loss helped Allen recognize the consequences of losing an exhibition game to a Division II opponent.

“You can lose and instead of hurting your record, it’s just going to demoralize you, especially if it’s a team that you definitely should have beat in that situation,” Allen said. “That was not a good way to start my college career.”

The Lakers, who are picked to finish second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference finished 19-8 (14-5 GLIAC) last season. They return the backcourt tandem of senior guard James Thomas and junior Breland Hogan, who averaged 11.1 and 7.4 points per game last season.

“They’re going to come in here and compete,” Hoiberg said. “They’ll try and punch us in the mouth, so it will be a good test for us. I’m excited to see where we stand.”

Tip time for Sunday’s game is set for 12:30 p.m.