Northwestern enters the Big Ten Tournament with a 13-18 (5-15 B1G) record, the program's second-lowest winning percentage of the Chris Collins era. It's been a disappointing season for the 'Cats, to say the least, and fans across the Chicagoland area have been waiting for the offseason to arrive since mid-January.

It's highly unlikely that this Wildcats team, which has consistently underperformed in late-game scenarios, could win six consecutive games in the Big Ten Tournament and continue its season with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, events that are just as crazy have happened leading up to March Madness, and anything is possible.

Just two seasons ago, NC State reached the Final Four after placing 10th in the ACC, thanks to nine consecutive wins between the two postseason tournaments. Michigan was the No. 8 seed in the 2017 Big Ten Tournament before taking down Illinois and higher-ranked Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin en route to the conference title.

Northwestern is probably not either of those teams, but it's impossible to count the Wildcats out with a player as talented as Nick Martinelli on the roster. Here is what it would look like if the 'Cats are able to conquer their challenging road ahead and make a run to the postseason:

Tuesday, Mar. 10 at ~6:30 p.m. CT | Peacock

The only game that Northwestern will be the higher seed in is its first-round matchup against the Nittany Lions. Penn State finished last in the Big Ten this season with a measly 12-19 (3-17 B1G) record, though they did manage to beat three teams that got the better of the Wildcats — Minnesota, Washington and Iowa.

Northwestern defeated Penn State, 94-73, in the lone matchup between the two on Jan. 29. Martinelli went off for a season-high 34 points behind four triples and a 13-of-19 shooting clip. The young Wildcats also posted strong performances, as Tre Singleton finished with 17 points and 18 boards, Jake West dished out 13 assists and Angelo Ciaravino went for a career-high 20 points.

Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 5:30 p.m. CT | Big Ten Network

The Wildcats similarly beat the Hoosiers in their only game this season, a 72-68 win in Bloomington on Feb. 24. Northwestern rallied from a double-digit deficit with the help of 21 second-half points from Martinelli to all but crush Indiana's March Madness hopes.

Indiana closed the regular season with five losses in its last six games. The 'Cats would need to take advantage of the doubt that may be arising from the Hoosiers' recent slide.

Thursday, Mar. 12 at 5:30 p.m. CT | Big Ten Network

Northwestern nearly upset Purdue last Wednesday, but couldn't close out the win as late turnovers and careless mistakes doomed the 'Cats. The Boilermakers came out on top, 70-66, despite Martinelli's 28 points.

NU led for almost 30 minutes and put forth a strong defensive effort against Braden Smith (7 points, 1-of-5 FG) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (11 points, 5-9 FG). It was a 27-point explosion from C.J. Cox that made the difference in this game, and if Northwestern can cut down on its mishaps, there is reason to believe that the 'Cats could be successful the next time around.

This game would be Northwestern's third in as many days, so fatigue would certainly be a factor. But Purdue has been far from sharp, too, dropping three of its last four games entering the tournament.

Friday, Mar. 13 at 5:30 p.m. CT | Big Ten Network

If Northwestern manages to get by its previous three opponents, the Wildcats will play their fourth consecutive game against Nebraska, which has a triple-bye in the tournament. The Huskers swept the 'Cats this season, winning 77-58 on Jan. 17 and 68-49 on Feb. 14.

Nebraska's shooting gave Northwestern a tough time in both contests, but the Wildcats were certainly close in both games. Northwestern trailed by five at the half in the first meeting and one at the half in the second; Nebraska's long-range attack just proved to be too much for the 'Cats to handle.

Northwestern allowed 11 three-pointers in each game, including 11 total to leading scorer Pryce Sandfort. The main problem for the 'Cats will be generating enough offense to match, as has been a major issue all season.

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No. 3 seed Michigan State only needs to win one game to reach the semifinals, while No. 6 UCLA must win two and No. 11 Minnesota/No. 14 Rutgers must win three. Northwestern went a combined 0-5 against those teams this season, losing twice to Minnesota.

The good news is that the 'Cats were competitive in each game. Northwestern actually led the Spartans by seven at halftime and held late leads over every other team except UCLA.

Sunday, Mar. 15 at 2:30 p.m. CT | CBS

Northwestern has never played in the final round of its conference tournament, and the 'Cats have only reached the semifinals once (2017 — Wisconsin won, 76-48). In order to even get to this stage, NU would need to win five games in five consecutive days, which only four teams have ever done in the history of the sport. Nobody has won six consecutive league tournament games, though Georgia Southern will attempt to achieve the feat on Monday night in the Sun Belt Tournament.

No. 1 seed Michigan and No. 4 Illinois are the most likely teams to make it out of the other side of the bracket, but No. 5 Wisconsin has toppled some of the conference's top teams since the new year. Any of these opponents would be a brutal challenge for the Wildcats, which would certainly be running on fumes to try to complete their Cinderella run.