They haven’t been installed yet.

And NIU men’s basketball coach Ricardo Patton is hoping they won’t have to be, but with players and coaches often catching sleep in the locker room, a couple of cots might be nice additions.

“We had a couple guys — even had a coach — sleep in there,” Patton said. “No [beds] yet. I hope we don’t have to go that far.”

Patton has pushed his players to perform at a higher level since their first practice. To achieve this, the first-year coach has stressed physical conditioning in every facet.

It’s part of his philosophy that whoever can play the longest and the hardest will have the best chance to win.

“I think that’s one of Coach Patton’s big keys,” forward Ben Rand said. “We’re in really good shape right now.”

However, the practice style hit some players off guard at first.

“I heard one of the guys say early on in our practice, ‘Boy, is this how they practice in the Big 12?’ And that’s exactly right,” Patton said. “Another day, we stopped a drill and told the guys we were preparing for Kansas. Kansas!”

“That’s what our practices each day are geared towards. Competing with the likes of Kansas,” the coach continued. “Because if you play in the NCAA tournament it’s more than likely you will face a team of that caliber.”

Gearing practice toward playing the top teams in the nation has raised expectations for a squad that only won seven games last season. The coaches are not the only ones expecting more, as the players have also joined in on the belief.

A recent addition to the locker room by Patton has captured this. The coach raised a banner reading, “Anything less than a National Championship will always be short of our goal.”

“Most of our coaching staff has been to the NCAA tournament,” forward Shaun Logan said. “I think a lot of goals right now, and in the future, will be higher than they were in the past.”

Patton thinks there is no reason NIU should not expect to compete at this higher level. To do this, the coach believes he and his staff will have to create a new culture around Huskie basketball.

NIU has tried to achieve this by early-morning and late-night practices and other off-court activities.

As far as on the court, the coach feels his team’s defense is ahead of the offense right now. However, Patton saw good ball movement during the Huskie Hoopla. For him, this is a sign that the team is becoming a balanced offense.

The Huskies continue to try and perfect both sides of the court throughout this season during practice. A practice style that both new players and veterans have found to be enjoyable.

“His style has just been a little different than [former] coach Judson,” Rand said. “I think it’s been a nice change for the new guys and us seniors, too.”