West Lot Pirates

The regular seasons of Softball and Lacrosse are winding down but the postseason will welcome a pair of Big Ten Champs to their respective tournaments. We also have news from the gridiron with 4 Wildcats getting drafted and 3 more invited to tryout camps. In addition, we have some new additions to the team emerging out of the transfer portal.

After we check in with the white-hot Lacrosse and Softball teams, we take a deeper look at the state of transfers both coming in and going out of Northwestern.

The landscape of the opportunities for college athletes to capitalize on their Name, Image and Likeness is wild and crazy. To help us get a better handle on what NIL is and how Northwestern is participating, we are thrilled to welcome Jacob Schmidt from TrueNU, Northwestern's NIL Collective.

With the Vernal Equinox in our rear view mirror, our attention turns solely on the Spring Sports. To help us break down the Softball team, we welcome in Ben Rosenberg who has been following/covering this squad since 2018.

Although the road ended in the 2nd round, the Northwestern Men's Basketball team showed out magnificently in Sacramento. From the win against Boise St. in the first round to a marvelous performance against UCLA that came up just short, these guys acquitted themselves exactly how we wanted to see them. Tonight, we marvel at the weekend that was, including major wins from both Softball and Lacro...

With the start of March Madness comes the oldest tradition in the history of the West Lot Pirates, our annual Bracketology pod with Scott Sepich. This time, much like back in 2017, we have something else to discuss: Northwestern's position in the tournament, what kind of matchup to expect from Boise State and a possible date with future conference foe UCLA potentially in round 2.

With this Sunday's win over Rutgers, the Cats enter the Big Ten Tournament as the 2nd Seed with a double bye. We try to put into perspective what kind of season this has been for NU and try to figure out how deep into March this team can go.

While the stadium and atmosphere was electric for Senior Night, it was not the result we were hoping for. We look back at Northwestern's 3rd consecutive loss (the first such losing streak this season) and try to project ahead to what we will be seeing in the Big Ten Tournament next week.

We don't think it's hyperbole to say that this past week in Northwestern sports has been one of the most eventful weeks in recent memory. Join us as we relive the drama and exaltation of the past week in both Men's and Women's Basketball, Softball and Lacrosse.

In the annals of Northwestern Sports history, there are a few seminal moments that echo throughout the ages. 54-51, Taphorn to Pardon, Victory Right, 17-15. After this Sunday, you can add another one to the list. In front of a packed Welsh-Ryan Arena, Northwestern upset the #1 ranked Purdue Boilermakers with both Sam and John in attendance. It's still hard for us to put into words the experien...

With Softball season starting this weekend in Florida we were thrilled to catch up with Sydney Supple to reminisce about last season's World Series run and preview this upcoming 2023 campaign.

With 6 games in 2 weeks after the Covid-related break, the Cats seem to have hit a wall, dropping their last two games. Will they be able to rest up and get things back on track as they get into the brutal back half of the conference slate?

The Northwestern Men's Basketball team came back from their Covid-related break to get things rolling again. After the drawn-out slug fest against Wisconsin, the Cats hit the road to take on Nebraska. We break down these games and look ahead to the next few games as we look to go into February as hot as we can.

It looks like we have finished out the hunt for our new coaching staff with the addition of SDSU DL Coach Christian Smith. Just like new DC David Braun, Smith comes with a pedigree of championship experience in FCS coming off the Jackrabbits' title this year. On the hardcourt, Men's basketball had to postpone two games this week due to Covid related illness. Will this break be what the tea...

It's taken quite some time for Northwestern to hire a new Defensive Coordinator, but now we know why. David Braun is coming over from North Dakota State which had still been playing up through the FCS National Championship game. Today, we break down what we know about Braun and some of the things we can expect from his D going into the 2023 campaign.

As we flip the calendar to 2023 it's time for us to take a good long look at the Men's Basketball team and their fantastic start to the season. After a big win against Illinois in front of a sold-out Welsh-Ryan Arena, the team is 11-3 and playing incredible defense. It's definitely time to pay close attention as we get into the heart of Big Ten action.

As Signing Day approaches we had the great pleasure of talking with Bradley Locker of InsideNU to talk about the search for Northwestern's new DC, the recruiting class and to take the temperature of how people are feeling on campus about the football team.

With conference championships over, all that's left to football season are the Bowls. Along with that, the transfer portal has officially opened and already we have seen movement. We continue to await word of any new coaching hires which will hopefully put a plug in the exodus and make NU more of a destination. Also, we find ourselves mostly through the non-conference slate of basketball and t...

With the 2022 NU Football season finished off by a 41-3 drubbing by Illinois, we all knew that something had to change. That change began with the firing of Jim O'Neil, Marty Long and Dennis Springer. We discuss these changes and debate if this is enough.

It's the week of Thanksgiving and while we don't have a lot to be thankful about regarding the play of the football team, we can definitely be thankful for the amazing runs the Field Hockey, Women's Soccer and Cross Country teams went on in their respective NCAA Championships. As far as football goes, it's Hat Week, but all our eyes are firmly pointed to after the Illinois game as...

Another game, another big loss. This time in the frigid cold of Minnesota. With only 2 games left and injuries mounting, Northwestern will try to salvage something as we head into the offseason. Is there a glimmer of light ahead? Could be...

We've got the whole gang back together tonight to go over the windstorm of a game last Saturday. Buckle up folks, this will get spicy.

When your defense makes the 131st ranked offense look like a real offense for the first time this season, there's really not much need to go too deep into the game recap. Suffice to say, Iowa cleaned Northwestern's clock last Saturday. With #2 Ohio State set to come into Ryan Field this week, we decided to change things up a bit and welcome in columnist and podcaster Doug Lesmerises to she...

While we definitely saw sparks of life out of the offense this week, continued self-inflicted wounds and a lack of imagination in scheme led Northwestern to yet another loss. With this weekend's game against the incredible D and putrid O of Iowa looming, will the Cats be able to salvage anything out of the 2022 season?

With a week off to hopefully get their minds right, get healthy and get ready to play the back half of this disappointing 2022, Northwestern will head out to the east coast to take on Maryland. The Terps have their own question marks, primarily the health of their QB Taulia Tagovailoa.