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GAME NOTES: The Northwestern Wildcats will look to keep the ball rolling as they welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a Big Ten Conference showdown.

This will be the first of two scheduled meetings this season. Iowa holds a 44-38 lead over the Wildcats in the rivalry's history, but Northwestern swept last season's home and home series, first by a score of 90-71 on the road, then in a close 73-70 battle in Evanston.

Iowa's 77-64 decision over Penn State on Saturday gives it some momentum heading into tonight's bout. Head coach Fran McCaffery has led his team to a 13-11 overall record and a 5-6 mark in the Big Ten. The win over Penn State, which was the second in a row, was powered by the Hawkeyes' 45.8 percent shooting from the field. Iowa has been productive on the offensive end all season and comes in with the third highest scoring offense in the league with an average of 74.2 ppg. The Hawkeyes are a poor defensive team however, as they allow a Big Ten worst 72.0 ppg.

Senior guard Matt Gatens is the most consistent player for Iowa with a team- best average of 13.9 ppg. Gatens scored 18 points after he sank 10-of-11 from the charity stripe to held the Hawkeyes past Penn State. Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White are both important components of Iowa's makeup as well. Devyn Marble had a quiet five-point, eight rebound outing, while White netted 17 points and grabbed nine boards versus the Nittany Lions.

Northwestern is trying to finally make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Wildcats have their work cut out for them, but took a step in the right direction with a 74-70 victory over Illinois on Sunday. The win was the second in a row for head coach Billy Carmody, who has designed a hard to contain offensive attack composed of backdoor cuts and three-point hailstorms. The Wildcats are netting 69.6 ppg while knocking down 37.7 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc.

The Wildcats are led by the Big Ten's top scorer John Shurna. The senior forward has been sensational this season, averaging 19.6 ppg, and he recently moved into second place past Evan Eschmeyer on the school's all-time scoring list with his 24-point performance against Illinois. Drew Crawford has been great alongside Shurna, as he is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring with 17.2 ppg. Northwestern is suffering from the injury bug, which as required Shurna, Crawford, and freshman point guard Dave Sobolewski to play nearly the entire game recently. Reggie Hearn could be the x-factor for the Wildcats. The senior guard came out of the shadows to go 6-of-6 from the field including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc to score 16 points in the first half against Illinois.

With another deadly piece added to the puzzle, Northwestern is primed for a late season run. Iowa has the chance to make or break its conference rival's season tonight. Carmody will have to hope his players do not suffer from fatigue, or he will need to find seldom used players off the bench that can step up and keep the dream of the Big Dance alive.