The Wildcats could be in unfamiliar territory come Sunday.

Northwestern may battle for the No. 3 seed instead of one of the top-2 seeds as the team travels to Purdue on Friday before hosting Indiana in Sunday’s regular season finale. The Cats have been either the No. 1 or the No. 2 seed every year since 1998.

Michigan and Nebraska currently are one game ahead of NU in the Big Ten standings and both play opponents with losing records in conference this weekend. Meanwhile, the Cats will have to fend off the Boilermakers, who are tied with the Cats with a 7-2 record in Big Ten play, and the Hoosiers, who sit in fifth place at 6-3.

The weekend will be important for NU as it looks to ride some momentum into next weekend’s Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Ind. The Cats will need to get a strong start at doubles, which has been an issue in NU losses this year. The Cats have lost the duel after winning the doubles point twice this season but have only won a single match after dropping the opening point this season.

The Cats have gotten stellar singles play this season from senior Linda Abu Mushrefova, who is a perfect 9-0 in Big Ten matches and holds a 19-9 record overall. On the doubles side, freshman Alicia Barnett and junior Veronica Corning have been on a roll as a team, winning seven straight matches and nine of the duo’s last 10 matches as a pair.

NU and Purdue met earlier this season in Evanston in the opening rounds of the ITA Team Indoors, and the Cats prevailed 4-2 to secure a spot in the main draw. NU dropped the doubles point but took four of the five singles matches that were completed to secure the victory. The Boilermakers upset the Cats in last season’s Big Ten Tournament, ending NU’s 13-year run as tournament champions.