Michigan and NU are the only conference teams under .500 and are looking to get out of the Big Ten basement with a first conference win.

“(Tonight’s game) is huge for our confidence level,” coach Beth Combs said. “It’s a home game that we can win if we show up and play for 40 minutes.”

The Cats (3-12, 0-2 Big Ten) head into the game game losers of two straight and will dress only eight players for the third straight game.

Senior Suzanne Morrison is out with a knee injury and hopes to return next week while freshman Kelly Rae Finley is out with a stress fracture in her leg for at least three weeks.

“When we lose one of our post players it’s scary as it is, and (then) you have to put people out of position a little bit in order to bridge that gap,” Combs said.

Ifeoma Okonkwo and A.J. Glasauer have had to move from guard to forward.

Michigan (4-9, 0-2) comes to town on a five-game losing streak and has one of the youngest rosters in the country — seven of the 10 players are freshmen. The Wolverines haven’t solidified their starting lineup yet, with nine of the 10 players making multiple starts.

NU and Michigan have had two common opponents this season. Both teams fell to Charlotte, but NU defeated Western Michigan by four point while Michigan lost by 15.