Preview: Washington at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. (Interstat) — Two teams looking to build momentum in the middle of the Big Ten schedule will meet Saturday when the Washington Huskies visit the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Washington (11-9 overall) arrives after snapping a three-game skid with a decisive 72-57 home victory over Oregon last Sunday. The Huskies’ offense was balanced in the win, with Jacob Ognacevic, Quimari Peterson and Wesley Yates each scoring between nine and 12 points. Ognacevic, a player to watch, has been a key contributor, averaging 9.3 points over his last four contests.

Northwestern (10-11) enters with confidence following a dominant 94-73 home win against Penn State on Thursday. The victory showcased the Wildcats’ offensive potential after a stretch of inconsistent results. Prior to the Penn State game, Northwestern had lost four of its previous five contests, including a 71-64 defeat at UCLA on Jan. 24.

This matchup features teams with similar records but contrasting recent trajectories. The Huskies will aim to secure a rare conference road win, having gone 1-3 in true road games within the Big Ten this season. The Wildcats, now 2-2 in their last four home conference games, will try to protect their home court and climb back toward .500 in league play.

Historically, this is an uncommon non-conference series turned conference matchup due to recent realignment. Both programs are navigating the rugged Big Ten landscape, where Washington sits at 4-5 and Northwestern at 3-6 in conference games.

The game will tip off at 1 p.m. CST Saturday as part of the Big Ten’s weekend slate. For Washington, it begins a challenging two-game road trip that continues at UCLA next week. Northwestern hits the road for its next two, starting at Illinois on Wednesday.