CHICAGO (Interstat) — Two teams looking to salvage disappointing seasons will meet when the Northwestern Wildcats and Penn State Nittany Lions open their Big Ten Tournament campaigns on Tuesday at the United Center. The 12th-seeded Wildcats (13-18) and 13th-seeded Nittany Lions (12-19) will tip off in a first-round matchup, with the winner advancing to face the fifth seed on Wednesday. Both teams enter having lost their regular-season finales. Northwestern holds a decisive advantage from the teams’ only meeting this season, a 94-73 home victory on Jan. 29. The Wildcats shot 54% from the field in that contest and led by as many as 28 points. The Wildcats will lean on forward Nick Martinelli, who has been a consistent scoring force. He is averaging 24.3 points over his last six games, including a 29-point performance in a win over Maryland and a 28-point effort in a narrow loss to Purdue. He scored 23 in Saturday’s 67-66 last-second loss at Minnesota. Penn State counters with guard Kayden Mingo, who is coming off a 13-point, 7-rebound, 4-assist performance in a 74-62 loss at Rutgers on Sunday. Mingo has shown scoring versatility, putting up 24 points at Oregon earlier this month. He was held to 9 points in the first meeting with Northwestern. The Nittany Lions have struggled for consistency, with their only win since Feb. 11 being a 71-69 home victory over Iowa on Feb. 28. They have lost four of their last five. Northwestern has shown an ability to play competitively against top-tier conference opponents, with recent close losses to Purdue and Minnesota, but also has suffered several lopsided defeats. The game will be a battle between Northwestern’s offense, led by Martinelli, and a Penn State team seeking to control the tempo and improve upon its defensive performance from the January blowout. The winner will keep its season alive for at least one more day in Chicago.