Podcast
451 episodes on the books
Coming into 2024 as the AP #2 team in the country, Ohio State has a National Championship square in their sights. But a 3 game losing streak to Michigan has the Buckeyes seeing red. Will their smothering Defense and a Chip Kelly led Offense put them back on top the Big Ten?
40 min
While it was not the prettiest game ever, you can't take anything away from the fact that the Cats went on the road and got a conference win. We now take stock of the football team going into their last 3 games of the season, while also celebrating the undefeated regular season of the Field Hockey team and the huge season opening win by the Men's Basketball team as they look to get back to the Big Dance for the third year in a row.
1h 29m
At our tailgate prior to the Maryland game, John had the chance to talk with Walt Versen and Roland Mesa, the Executive Producer and Director respectively of an upcoming documentary about 6 Northwestern Offensive Linemen who found themselves as the security detail for one of the hottest Rock and Roll groups of all time, Queen.
21 min
In this episode, we take a quick breather from our Summer Previews to recap the Big Ten Media Days. Sam and John attended the massive luncheon and have plenty to report. Plus, we welcome Bryant McIntosh back to campus as he takes his first steps into the coaching world.
36 min
As we come to the verge of our 2021 Summer Football Previews, we need to put a bow on the spring sports. Lacrosse made a valiant run to the NCAA Final Four before falling to Syracuse. Softball made it into the NCAA Tournament as well before falling to Kentucky in their sectional. Also, June brings the end to the on-campus recruiting dead period, so we expect to see quite a bit of activity this month on the recruiting front in all sports.
46 min
As the Northwestern Softball team heads down to the desert to take on Arizona State in the Super Regionals, we welcome in Noah Coffman to help us dive in to this team on a whole other level.
57 min
The 2019 West Lot Pirates Summer Previews are here! We dive into the Northwestern schedule and highlight the Cats' opponents. Minnesota has been frisky under PJ Fleck, but will their injury concerns impede their ascent to the top of the west?
34 min
This week we talk about the end of both the Men's and Women's nomadic seasons at Allstate Arena and ETHS Beardsley Gym. Then it's time for some Winter Olympic talk.
1h
With our Summer Previews fast approaching, we catch up on all the latest news and notes surrounding the 'Cats.
50 min
Coming off their huge wins over Illinois and Ohio State, Northwestern made the trip down I-65 to West Lafayette to take on Purdue and gave the Boilermakers absolutely everything they could handle. 2 games against Purdue, 2 games went to overtime. While the outcome wasn't what the Wildcats were looking for, there is a ton to take away from that game and the week as a whole as they head into the back half of the conference schedule.
1h 2m
While the result certainly wasn't what we were hoping for, there really are a lot of positives to take out of this game. The offense looked so much better than they did against Washington. Also, you've got to tip your cap to a very talented Indiana squad. Now, the Cats have a short week before they head out to the DMV to take on Maryland.
1h 46m
It was Senior Night for the Men's Basketball team this week and it was a memorable one. The Cats made a furious comeback that came up just short after yet another questionable call by the officials. With just one game left in the regular season, the Cats look to punch their ticket to the Big Ten Tournament with a finale at Maryland.
40 min
Two years removed from their National Championship, Michigan looks to ride their stellar D and hope that their revamped offense can propel them back to the top of the conference.
39 min
Last season was an absolute train wreck for Michigan, especially defensively. Jim Harbaugh seems to be walking on thinner and thinner ice, but as of yet, he hasn't fallen through. Will the so-called "quarterback whisperer" finally have a QB shine in his system? Or will that atrocious D from last year continue to bite them in the butt?
45 min
To call that first half against Duke a miserable time would be too generous. There are a lot of adjectives that we could use to describe it, but fundamentally, it was just embarrassing. The second half was a different story, but the Cats just ran out of time. We feel your pain as we try to figure out what the hell is going on with this team and how we can mentally re-adjust our expectations for the rest of the season.
1h 18m
With an OT win over a swarming Colorado squad, NU Lacrosse advances to yet another Final 4. This time however, we're playing on our own field. Also, NU has a new President with the announcement that Mung Chiang will be taking the reins July 1st.
41 min
The calendar may have turned from 2021 to 2022, but with Kirk Ferentz still going strong at Iowa, it looks like we might have a very similar Hawkeye team to last season's. Will they be able to ride their dynamic Defense back to Indy or will their offensive struggles catch up to them?
33 min
A lot of things went right in Northwestern's big win over Ohio, but there are definitely still some things to work on and questions to be answered. This week, the Cats head west to Lincoln to take on Nebraska under the lights. Nebraska's Defense is much improved, but is there a blueprint to moving the ball against them? Can Adrian Martinez be stopped by anyone other than himself?
1h 30m
It was a tale of two halves this past Friday in LA. The first half saw two teams trading punches back and forth. But one freak play turned the game on its head and USC pulled away in the second half. We look back at this game while also celebrating a hot start to the Men's Basketball season and wishing the best of luck to both Women's Soccer and Field Hockey as they enter their respective NCAA Tournaments.
1h 19m
With the Basketball season looking more and more like a wonk season, we immerse ourselves in some recruiting probabilities.
1h 13m
Lacrosse has now won 4 consecutive Big Ten Conference Tournament Championships to go along with their 4 consecutive Regular Season Championships with a tremendous OT win over Maryland. Now we wait to see what their path will look like as they attempt to make yet another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
53 min
Of all our 2019 previews, Minnesota was easily the one we were most off on. Their offense looks like it will be decent again, but with the loss of their top defensive players, will that derail their chances to make noise in the West this year?
31 min
We wrap up our Summer Preview slate just as we do every year, with the battle for the Top Hat and Illinois. The Illini are coming off their best season in a while as they continue to embody the Bret Bielema system. But last year they seemed to come out on the right side of almost every close game they played. Will that luck continue into the 2025 campaign?
37 min
The Northwestern world is abuzz with the news of a new QB and Defensive Coordinator. Ryan Hilinski has announced his transfer from South Carolina to Northwestern and Jim O'Neil will soon be announced as the new DC. This week, we talk all about these new additions and how they might impact the team in 2021.
1h 22m
At long last we come to the end of our Summer Previews, this time with a look at our in-state rival, Illinois. This is a team that struggled on both sides of the ball last year, but will consistency at QB and OC bring them some success?
32 min
For our final preview of the offseason we turn our attention to the much-maligned Northwestern Offense. We know so much about some of the position groups, RB, OL to name a few. With another potential first round LT anchoring the line and Cam Porter coming back healthy, we can hope to see some improvement. But, like every other year, so much depends on who we have under center. Will we see the necessary QB improvement in 2022?
1h 15m
It was a rock fight at Wrigley Field with Iowa eking out the win with a last second 53 yard FG. We knew Iowa's D was good and good it was. But with 3 winnable games left on the schedule, the Wildcats drive for 6 is still quite alive.
1h 6m
As we start our run-up to the NFL Draft, this week, we welcome in Tim Chapman, author of ChampioN Underdog: The Improbable Success of the 1995 Northwestern Football Team. We reminisce about the amazing Rose Bowl run that 95 team went on, dive into some of the great stories from the book and from the writing of the book.
1h 10m
With Softball winning the Big Ten Tournament and Lacrosse advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight, we welcome back the voice of NU Spring Sports, Noah Coffman to dive deep into the details of these two amazing teams.
1h 15m
Wisconsin comes into the 2020 season as possibly the best team in the Big Ten West, at least on paper. With no COVID opt outs, what we expected to see sure looks like it will be what we do see. But without the home field advantage that Camp Randall brings them, can they put together another Western Division title run?
28 min
Tonight, we talk about Ryan Smith, reportedly the new NU CB coach coming in from Virginia Tech. We also have our first recruit commitment for the 2023 season and it's a doozy! Then we have a quick check on hoops before breaking down the next round of Bowl Games.
55 min
It's amazing how much one win can change the mindset of a fan base. Northwestern came off their bye week and did pretty much whatever they wanted against Rutgers. This weekend's matchup against Michigan, however, is going to be a totally different beast. But there is a path to victory there. Join us as we trace that path out for you.
1h 29m
Over the past two weeks, the Cats found themselves in two overtime situations, one positive, one negative and finished off with a great win over Indiana. Tonight, we look back at Nicky Buckets' game winning shot, Jalen Leach's ridiculous ejection and the Ty Berry 3 point show. We can also close the book on the 2024 college football season as Ohio State took home the National Championship.
1h 3m
It was a weird game up in Madison with both positives and negatives. We look at the game from both angles as we turn our gaze forward to this weekend's Homecoming game against #4 Penn State.
55 min
We turn our attention to the NU schedule as we begin with a Week 0 matchup against the so-called "Greatest 3-9 team in history." Northwestern travels to the Emerald Isle to take on a Nebraska team that is trying to figure out an identity as Scott Frost's seat gets hotter and hotter. Will UNL finally make a bowl game under their Prodigal Son come home?
46 min
Northwestern starts conference play by welcoming in the Michigan State Spartans. Amazing D and questions on O make Sparty a very interesting team to examine.
30 min
It's finally here! The 2018 season kicks off tomorrow and we are ready to rock and roll! Today, we preview our own Northwestern Wildcats and look ahead to Week 1 as we head to West Lafayette to take on Purdue.
1h 10m
Well, we hoped that this day wouldn't come, but we feared that it was inevitable. The Big Ten and Pac 12 have cancelled all fall sports with the intention of holding a spring football season. Tonight, we unpack our feelings on everything here and turn an uncertain eye towards the spring of 2021.
1h 5m
The NU Softball team is off to a tremendous start to the season as they announced their presence with authority this weekend down in Florida. Knocking off 2 top 15 teams and barely losing to another sends a message to the rest of the College Softball world that the Cats are ready for action. We also check in on the start of the Lacrosse season and the ends of the Men's and Women's Basketball seasons.
47 min
We get into our Summer Previews with a look at the Big Ten teams Northwestern doesn't play this year. Yes, that does mean we need to talk about Rutgers.
26 min
In today's episode, we continue to look at the Big Ten teams that Northwestern does not play in 2019. We set our sights to Happy Valley and look at Penn State.
22 min
We usually kick off our Summer Previews with a look at the Big Ten teams not on Northwestern's schedule, but with the announcement that the Big Ten is going to a 10 game, conference only schedule this year, this preview could become much more relevant if the schedule breaks a certain way. Coming off another Big Ten Championship and a close loss to Clemson in the Playoffs, will Ohio St. just reload for another title run this year?
33 min
Tonight, we check in on NU Hoops as the Men's team extended their winning streak against Indiana to 6, the Lacrosse team as they took out their frustration after their loss to Colorado, Softball as they continue to develop whilst taking on a meat grinder of a non-conference schedule and Baseball as they have started off to a very respectable 5-2 start.
44 min
It was an incredible weekend in Brooklyn for Northwestern. The Cats continued their undefeated record in the Round of 64 with a dramatic overtime win over Florida Atlantic. Even though they weren't able to pull of the incredible upset over #1 overall seed UConn, the Cats showed their heart and fought to the very end. Tonight, we look back at the weekend and relive the vibes of an incredible season.
1h 13m
Another week, another disappointing performance by the Northwestern offense. The second bye week is upon us, but the storm clouds of the following Friday night's visit by Ohio State are floating in on the horizon. Is there any reason to think anything is going to change offensively for the Cats over this week off?
1h 23m
Northwestern Field Hockey's magical season culminated with a dominant 5-0 win over St. Joe's to bring home the team's second National Championship. This week, we relive their championship run while also examining the state of the Football team after their 50-6 drubbing by Michigan.
1h 37m
After previewing the Big Ten foes we don't see this year, it's time to dig into the Northwestern schedule. What a doozy off the top as we face FCS powerhouse South Dakota St. Then it'll be Prime Time on the lake as Colorado comes to town. Finally, we look at our Homecoming game against Ball State.
1h 20m
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, Northwestern fans look at the schedule and will say "Au Revoir Gopher." PJ Fleck's squad has been solid in recent seasons, but how will they adjust to the new non-divisional reality that the Big Ten now finds itself in?
24 min
The 2019 West Lot Pirates Summer Previews are here! As always, we start our previews by discussing the Big Ten Teams not on Northwestern's schedule. Maryland comes into the season trying to wipe the slate clean from the tumultuous 2018 season. Can they rally together under their new coach to make some noise in the Big Ten East?
19 min
With the NCAA Tournament tipping off today, we bring back Scott Sepich, our resident bracketologist, to look at the tourney as a whole.
1h 2m
