The Northwestern wrestling team has one weekend of competition left before the Big Ten conference tournament, and it won’t be an easy one. The Wildcats (7-11, 0-6 Big Ten) have their work cut out for them as they face No. 18 Wisconsin (10-10, 2-5) tonight and Indiana on Sunday.

“This is gonna be a dog fight,” coach Tim Cysewski said of the dual meet between Northwestern (7-11, 0-6) and Wisconsin (10-10, 2-5). “We match up pretty even with them.”

One key matchup pits NU’s 141-pound junior John Giacche against the Badgers’ Grant Hoerr. Giacche is looking for his 12th straight win.

Hoerr returned to Madison an All-American this year, leaving him with a bullseye on his back that could have hurt his overall record this year, Cysewski said.

To prepare, Giacche has focused on defensive tactics, such as keeping his hips and legs away from his opponent’s shots.

“Johnny’s a very aggressive wrestler, but sometimes his defense is not as good as it could be,” Cysewski said.

Giacche hopes that capitalizing on Hoerr’s weaknesses will help the Cats get their first Big Ten victory of the year.