The Wildcats will head to Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday afternoon hoping to extend their six-game winning streak.

Northwestern (20-6, 10-5 Big Ten) will face the Badgers (8-17, 4-11) in NU’s 13th away game of the season. NU has gone 9-3 on the road so far, accumulating big wins against Michigan State, Illinois and DePaul.

After a victory against No. 21 Nebraska on Wednesday, the 2014-2015 squad became the first NU team to rack up 20 wins since 1995-1996.

When the Cats met the Badgers this year in a New Year’s Day showcase, NU walked away with a dominant 68-46 victory and secured coach Joe McKeown’s 100th win as NU’s head coach.

The Cats also showed off their depth in that contest, as five of their players scored in double digits with junior forward Lauren Douglas’ 13 points leading the way.

Wisconsin’s outlook, bleak before the Jan. 1 matchup, appears no more rosy this time around. The Badgers currently sit in last place in the Big Ten in scoring offense, despite being third in 3-point shooting.

The Cats have had trouble defending shooters from beyond the arc this season, as they are seventh in the Big Ten in 3-point defense. Yet, last time the two teams met, NU limited the Badgers to under 22 percent from deep, significantly lower than the Badgers’ season-average 36 percent.

The Cats, second in the Big Ten in field goal defense, also limited Wisconsin to just 26 percent shooting on New Year’s Day. If NU once again limits the already low-wattage Wisconsin offense, Sunday’s game could quickly become a copy of the first meeting.

Offensively, the Cats have been on a roll of late, led by sophomore forward Nia Coffey. Coffey has produced six consecutive double-doubles and can count 13 on the season.

Coffey averages 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds a game for the Cats, and grabbed 13 boards against the Badgers in January.

Rebounding will be a focus for NU on Sunday. The Cats are 10th in the Big Ten in rebounding offense and in rebounding defense, and the Badgers out-rebounded the Cats 48-38 in the January matchup.

NU, which boasts an exceptionally balanced offense, is third in the Big Ten in assists while Wisconsin sits in 10th place. The ball sharing and balance allowed five NU players to score in double digits against the Badgers in the previous matchup, and will likely be something Wisconsin focuses on disrupting.

Perhaps the largest deciding factor in the Wildcats’ previous win against the Badgers was turnovers. NU forced Wisconsin to lose possession 24 times, while the Cats only turned it over 12 times.

NU sits first in the Big Ten in turnover margin, while Wisconsin is dead last.

Amid a difficult four-game stretch, Sunday’s matchup is by far NU’s most favorable contest. Even on the road, the Cats will need to produce a whole lot of blunders not to up the winning streak to seven.

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