Cagers hoping to embody Wildcats' worst nightmare

When Kevin O'Neill took over as the Northwestern men's basketball coach this season, he knew there would be some sleepless nights.

Which is quite a contrast to his team, because the insomnia O'Neill is feeling is the direct opposite of Wildcats' state of consciousness, or unconsciousness -- the Wildcats haven't awaken much this season.

"If I was playing us, I'd press us from the time we stepped out of the locker room," O'Neill said. "Some of the guys play like they're sleepwalking."

Sleepwalking or not, the Wildcats (8-10, 1-7 Big Ten) will host the Penn State men's basketball team (10-9, 3-6) at 1 p.m. today at the Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Wednesday at Indiana, the Hoosiers put the Nittany Lions to sleep early as they went on a 23-2 run to break open a 16-15 lead in the first half en route to a 95-76 win.

"We have to put this behind us," said Lion forward Jarrett Stephens. "We have to come back to practice and clean up our mistakes. That's all you can do."

Which is what Northwestern has been saying all season long -- particularly after it was thrashed by the Lions 83-45 on Jan. 22 at The Bryce Jordan Center.

"That was a perfect game to be embarrassed by," O'Neill said. "I'm to the point where we'll play the guys who play hard. I'm not going to reward people who don't play hard."

But playing hard is what 6-foot-11 Wildcat center Evan Eschmeyer has been doing all season. An All-American candidate, Eschmeyer is averaging 21.9 points per game and 11 rebounds.

But O'Neill said despite the accolades Eschmeyer has received this season, such as scoring 1,000 career points, his star center still has a long way to go.

"If they picked the draft tomorrow, he wouldn't be in the draft," O'Neill said. "He's got to get better. He needs a lot of improvement to get his game up there."

Eschmeyer had his 12th double-double of the year with 30 points and 14 rebounds in a 72-66 loss to Michigan State last Saturday. He was a key factor for the Wildcats in forcing overtime against the conference leader.

Also in that game, the Wildcats took a 26-25 lead into halftime and never trailed by more than five points in regulation.

Although Northwestern ran neck-and-neck with the Spartans, O'Neill isn't ready to celebrate yet.

"We've got a lot of things to work on," he said. "We're not going to have a keg party, I can assure you of that."