You wouldn’t guess it by looking at the standings, but the Northwestern women’s basketball team is gradually starting to come together.

Although the smallest team in the Big Ten lost 21 of 29 games this season (including 18 straight) and had their starting lineup completely reworked, the girls on this team have started to gel, and they couldn’t have picked a better time.

The women won two of their final four Big Ten games after losing their first 13 conference contests. Rising freshman point guard Beth Marshall has been the biggest bright spot for the Wildcats, leading the team with 14 points against Penn State two weeks ago, and hitting key shots down the stretch to hold off a streaking Michigan team last Sunday.

The streak has also accompanied the revival of senior A.J. Glasauer’s season. The German native put up huge numbers in the final three games of the regular season, scoring 18 points in each and carrying the team on her shoulders at times.

Granted, this season is lost, barring a historic run in the Big Ten Women’s Tournament this week. It’s just too little, too late.

But next year could be a different story. With the addition of 6’5″ star recruit Amy Jaeschke, next year’s Northwestern team could be a legitimate Big Ten competitor. Freshmen Beth Marshall and Kaitlin McInerney will have a year of experience, Sara Stutz should step up as the experienced leader of the team, and developing role players like Kristin Cartwright and Julie Bielawski should continue to improve. There’s a bright future for Northwestern basketball.

While a historic Big Ten Tournament run is unlikely—strike that, impossible for the Wildcats, the team could have more success in the tournament than most would assume. As the 11-seed in the conference, they will play a beatable Minnesota team at Canseco Fieldhouse in Indianaoplis. So don’t count Northwestern out of this game, even though they’ve only won three first round match-ups in their Big Ten Tournament history.