NORMAL - While fan excitement builds for the Illinois State women's basketball team's second NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, the Redbirds are trying to come down from the clouds. | NCAA women's basketball scores, stats

No. 13-seeded ISU (26-6) must get prepared in a hurry for a difficult first-round test against traditional Big 12 Conference power and No. 4 seed Oklahoma (21-8) at 11 a.m. Sunday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.

"Our focus is on getting the best game plan together that we can, getting our girls in the right mindset and just going up there to battle," said fifth-year ISU coach Robin Pingeton before the team left for West Lafayette Friday afternoon.

ISU senior guard Tiffany Hudson already has her game face on.

"They're a great team obviously," Hudson said of the Sooners and their 6-foot-4 all-America junior center Courtney Paris. "Our coaching staff is going to prepare us so we're ready to face Oklahoma. We'll be ready."

ISU's fans are gearing up as well.

Todd Kober, ISU assistant athletic director for media relations, said the school has sold all 318 advance tickets allotted by the NCAA. A fan bus carrying 55 people will also be making the 2½-hour trek to the Purdue University campus.

"I think the interest has been very high," Kober said. "If it wasn't Easter Sunday, we'd have a lot more people over there. I've noticed we've had some people come up and say they wish the game wasn't on Easter Sunday because they'd be there.

"For the most part people are going to go out and support the team."

The game will be televised on ESPN2.

The Redbirds are coming off a three-game run through the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament that culminated with a 70-62 win over Drake in the championship game. ISU ended the season with a four-game winning streak after losing its previous three.

"I've really felt good about our last couple of weeks of practices," Pingeton said. "I thought we started to build some momentum in the last (regular-season) home game against Evansville.

"Then we went down to that conference tournament and played some of the best basketball that we've played all year. Hopefully we can continue on with that."

Hudson shares Pingeton's optimism.

"I think we're back to our old ways and playing Illinois State basketball," Hudson said. "But there's always room for improvement."