The Northwestern men’s tennis team might not boast a player among the nation’s top five like Minnesota does. But the Wildcats know how to pull out all the stops when necessary.

“We’re going to play our own game,” NU head coach Paul Torricelli said. “Be more focused, more in it mentally. We have to be in the battle.”

In No. 39 NU’s last road trip before the postseason, it travels to Bloomington, Minn., to face the No. 23 Golden Gophers (11-5, 4-2) today at 6:30 p.m. The Cats (11-6, 4-2 Big Ten) will then make their way to Madison, Wis., on Sunday to take on No. 73 Wisconsin.

The Golden Gophers’ Harsh Mankad, currently the No. 3 singles player in the nation, only plays intermittently for Minnesota during the regular season. The star junior takes time off to play for India in professional Davis Cup action. Unfortunately for the Cats, Mankad will be present and ready for action tonight.

After losing to Illinois and Iowa last weekend, NU will try to prove this time around that it’s no pushover.

“We have no control over how well the other team plays, as we learned against Iowa,” Torricelli said. “We know what has to be done.”

Minnesota is a formidable foe, and beating a higher-ranked team on the road in tonight’s indoor match will be a challenge for the Cats.