Northwestern is much better than its 1-6 last place Big Ten record shows. Look for the Wildcats to prove it in this game. They catch Purdue off a huge emotional 16-point home victory against its biggest rival, Indiana, this past Wednesday.



The Boilermakers have failed to cover in four of their last five visits to Northwestern and have been outrebounded in their past three games giving up 59 second-chance points during this span.



Northwestern is shooting 43.7 percent from the field. The Wildcats are holding opponents to 41.5 percent from the floor while outrebounding them. They are a solid, well-coached team with a misleading won-lost mark.



The Wildcats do a lot of things right they've just been unlucky. They have lost six in a row, but the average losing margin during their last five losses has been 3.4 points. They have covered eight of their last 10.



The Wildcats nearly took out then eighth-ranked Maryland this past Sunday losing 68-67 on a basket during the closing seconds.



Northwestern is second in the Big Ten in free throw percentage at 79.8. Purdue ranks 11th, by contrast, at 65 percent.



The Wildcats have a lot going for them in this matchup. The time is ripe for them to get the job done.