Ok, real quick roundup of what's going on in spring sports:
Women's lacrosse: The Wildcats look to make their annual trip to the Final Four, but to do so, they must beat Duke, whom they already beat earlier this year, 13-5. NU is the No. 2 seed, while Duke is the No. 7 seed. The Blue Devils, who beat Virginia in the first round, have the 10th best scoring defense in Division 1. The Wildcats, who beat Notre Dame in the first round, counter with the third best scoring defense. Game is Saturday at Lakeside Field under the lights, 7 p.m. CT, and live on the BTN.
Softball: NU will be the underdog in the Austin Regional of the NCAA tournament, hosted by No. 6 seed Texas. Auburn and Houston are the other teams. At least the Wildcats (27-27) have been battle tested, boasting the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation. Of course, they went 13-17 in non-conference play, but hey, why dwell on the negative. NU begins play on Friday at 4 p.m. CT against Texas, which will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network, which you probably don't get. The regional is double elimination, so the Wildcats will also play Saturday, and if they earn it, on Sunday, as well.
Women's tennis: I've been remiss in covering our very good women's tennis team, which actually for the first time since 1998 did not win the Big Ten title, having been upset by Purdue. Despite the loss, the Wildcats soldiered on into the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed, where they advanced through the first and second rounds. But their season came to an end against No. 4 seed Stanford, 4-1, on Thursday, the same team that beat them in the third round last year. All in all, another solid season for the Wildcats.
Men's tennis: NU also had a good year in men's tennis, making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. They also won seven Big Ten matches, their most since 2001. Alas, their stay in the tournament wasn't long, as the Wildcats were beaten 4-0 by No. 23 LSU in the first round.
Men's golf: The Wildcats are playing in the Bowling Green Regional. As of Friday morning, they were six strokes out of fifth place, where they need to be to advance.
Women's golf: NU finished 18th out of 24 in the NCAA East Regional.
Baseball: Tough year, as the Wildcats are 17-35. One of those losses was to Division III University of Chicago. They're hosting non-conference foe Saint Louis this weekend in their regular season finale. Up next is the Big Ten tournament, which they'll have to win in order to qualify for the NCAA tournament.