“It’s really tough,” Ellis said. “Just having these back-to-back games, going away and coming back and having another practice, and then leaving the next day after that.”

Before setting foot on the court, Ellis had the option to redshirt his freshman season and take in the new atmosphere for a whole season instead of jumping right into it. After seeing his teammates drop like flies because of injuries, Ellis is glad he opted not to redshirt.

“I’m pretty happy I made that decision,” Ellis said. “A couple games ago, we had some players that were injured, and I had to step up and I had my chance to show Coach what I can do.”

So far in the Big Ten season, Ellis and Schilling have played crucial minutes because of injuries and foul trouble, giving both a strong taste of what it is like to play in the Big Ten —MS arguably the toughest conference in the nation. While averaging less than a point in Big Ten play, Ellis played his best game in the bright lights on ESPN in their win against then-No. 3 Ohio State when he had two steals to go along with two points.

Schilling, one of three Spartans to play in every game this season, learned a lesson about how tough each player needs to play to compete in the Big Ten when he stepped on the court against Penn State in the conference opener.

“As soon as the first Big Ten Conference game (started), I noticed the different foul calls and the tougher play because it’s conference play, and this is when it counts,” Schilling said.

Another aspect of Big Ten play is the condensed schedule, with physical games coming at a twice-a-week rate, which sometimes causes the Spartans to hit the road in back-to-back games. And although German-born Schilling has moved around the globe his entire life, he isn’t as big of a fan of the tight traveling schedule as Ellis is.

“It’s not hard, I like to travel actually,” Ellis said. “I get used to it now since we’ve been traveling so much, I just got to make sure I keep up with my schoolwork.”

Ellis has his mom and dad back home making sure he is keeping his grades up. But on the court, they have the whole team and coaching staff helping them learn the college game. Although their stat lines aren’t award-winning just yet, the two still are trying to soak as much in as quickly as possible to help their team to victory.

“I think I’m adjusting still to the play and our system,” Schilling said. “So, you know, I just got to keep on working hard, and my time will come.”