GAME NOTES: The Northwestern Wildcats will try to end a three-game losing streak as they travel to face the Michigan Wolverines in a Big Ten Conference battle Saturday at the Crisler Center.

Northwestern has dropped three games in a row since winning its first Big Ten Conference match of the season against Rutgers. The Wildcats are coming off a Wednesday night loss to Illinois, 72-67, which dropped the team to 1-3 in conference play.

Michigan took on heated conference rival Ohio State on Tuesday, but it was the Buckeyes who got the win. Ohio State cruised to a 71-52 home victory over the Wolverines, ending a two-game win streak. Michigan is now 3-2 in conference play, but owns an 8-3 mark at home.

Saturday's game between Northwestern and Michigan will mark the 165th all-time meeting between the conference foes. Michigan has dominated the series against the Wildcats, owning a 108-56 advantage in head-to-head meetings. The Wolverines are 62-20 all-time in Ann Arbor against the Wildcats.

Northwestern hung tough with Illinois for the entirety of Wednesday's contest, but not even a 48-percent shooting mark in the second half for Northwestern could seem to top the Illini. Bryant McIntosh contributed 16 points in the loss, but he also turned the ball over five times. Alex Olah tallied a double- double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding in four assists and three blocked shots to really boost his stat line. In the contest, the Wildcats shot 46.2 percent from the field, and made 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.

The Wildcats haven't been overwhelming on the offensive end of the floor this season, as they head into Saturday's contest netting 65.2 ppg on 43.1 percent shooting. In fact, Northwestern's scoring offense is tied with Nebraska for second to last in the Big Ten this season. Fortunately for Northwestern, the team has been holding opponents to just 62.4 ppg. McIntosh leads the team in the scoring department at 12.4 ppg, but Tre Demps is right on his heels at 12.2 ppg. Olah rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers for the Wildcats at 10.3 ppg, adding in a team-high 7.2 rpg mark to his resume.

A combination of poor offensive shooting (33.9 percent from the floor) and a weak defensive effort (49.1 percent shooting for Ohio State) led to Michigan's demise in a rivalry game against the Buckeyes. Caris LeVert led all Michigan players with 14 points. Zak Irvin chipped in with 11 points, and had a team- high four turnovers in the defeat. Irvin's five rebounds tied a team high with Derrick Walton Jr., who finished the game with more fouls (four) than he did points (two).

LeVert has been sensational for an otherwise relatively mediocre Michigan team this season. The guard comes into Saturday's matchup leading the team in not just scoring (14.8 ppg), but also in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and in total assists (60). His 32 steals are another team best, and the guard is shooting an even 40 percent from 3-point range. Irvin (14.4 ppg) isn't far behind in the scoring category, and Walton (10.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) rounds out a Michigan trio of double-digit scorers. The Wolverines are netting 66.1 ppg, but are holding opponents to 62.8 ppg on 44.1 percent shooting.

Northwestern will have a rough time taking on a Michigan team that has gotten better in the grand scheme of things, although the loss to Ohio State seemingly proves otherwise. The Wildcats may find it difficult to score on a tough defensive squad in front of a typically raucous Crisler Center crowd.