Ricky Byrdsong's tactics may be unorthodox, but they seem to work.

Going into last night's game against Penn State, the coach had his team on a roll. A surge of momentum generated after losing its first nine Big Ten games. A roll that included a string of two consecutive road wins, and three wins in the last five games. By Northwestern standards, it was a hot streak, one brought about by the coach's leaving early last month.

But the momentum didn't carry over last night, as the Wildcats lost a squeaker to the Lions 73-71 in Rec Hall, a game which Byrdsong and company needed to win if they wanted to keep post-season hopes alive.

But if not for an earlier ploy by Byrdsong, his team might not have been in position for post-season play at all.

Rewind to seven games ago.

The images are vivid. Byrdsong leaving his team in the middle of a game -- his charges losing. He watched the rest of that game from a remote corner of the floor.

From there, it was into the stands. Waving, posturing, shaking hands with those in attendance.

Some outsiders thought he had cracked from the stress of coaching. Others might have just seen him as losing focus. Whatever the case, they would soon see him as missing.

A requested leave of absence ensued. The immediate future of the Northwestern basketball program looked bleak. However, from turmoil and confusion, came new life and motivation.

Byrdsong credits the support he received from his players as being a main source of strength.

"I knew we were close," he said of his relationship with the players. "But you never know to what degree that closeness gets tested."

His team seems to have passed the test.

He said recently that it was all planned -- a bit of staged mayhem. And given the run his team had been on, his tactics may be unorthodox, but they seem to work.

"It has, no question, made them a tougher and closer team," Byrdsong added. "Through adversity we get a chance to find out what we're really made of."

Penn State Coach Bruce Parkhill has some idea of the adversity Byrdsong is talking about.

Flashback to last season, Parkhill's first in the Big Ten. Adversity? How about the departure of players like highly touted Wade Parsons and Brian Anderson? How about injuries to key players like Matt Gaudio decimating the lineup?

How does a coach cope?

"I think everybody has their own ways of trying to motivate people," Parkhill said, adding that a coach can only do so much to motivate his players. "From what psychologists tell me, by the time they reach (college) age, they're either motivated or they're not."

Byrdsong knew the Wildcats had the motivation, they just needed something drastic to shake it up.

Say what you will about Ricky Byrdsong. His tactics may be unorthodox, but they seem to work.