Northwestern and Rutgers both occupy the bottom third of the Big Ten as the Wildcats prepare to host the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday in Evanston, Ill. The schools also share an objective: to climb from those depths over the final five-plus weeks of the regular season. "We're close," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. While Pikiell spoke in larger terms, his words also described the league standings. The Scarlet Knights (10-10, 3-6 Big Ten) and Wildcats (12-8, 3-6) have the same record in conference play, and both are coming off single-digit losses to ranked foes. Ace Bailey of the Scarlet Knights leads the conference in scoring at 19.
Rutgers, Northwestern both dealing with injuries to key scorers
