West Lot Pirates

West Lot Pirates

A unique take on Northwestern Athletics with thoughts ranging from the visceral to the statistical. Sam, John and Erik will break down NU football, recruiting, basketball and more.

Episodes

December 16, 2025 101 mins

As we enter the back half of December, we find ourselves in the midst of Bowl Season. Tonight, we look ahead to the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit where the Cats will be taking on Central Michigan. We also catch up on the rest of the Big Ten's bowl/playoff matchups and take stock of the Basketball team as we get our final tune-up games before conference play starts in earnest.

Mark as Played

It would be easy to chalk this game up to just being a rivalry game in the snow, but there was a lot more going on than just that in Northwestern's 7 point loss to Illinois. Now with the regular season finished, we look ahead to our upcoming Bowl Game as we begin to think about a crucial 2026 campaign as we cut the ribbon on the new Ryan Field. Oh yeah, there's some coaching carousel news too...

Mark as Played

What a weekend! Field Hockey finished their journey to repeat as National Champions with 2 incredible wins in both the Final 4 game against North Carolina and the title game against Princeton. Football finally broke the curse of Wrigley Field, getting their first ever win at the Friendly Confines while also clinching a bowl berth for the 2nd time in 3 years under David Braun. Let's not forget the Basketball team either as they ...

Mark as Played
November 18, 2025 90 mins

The Wrigley Curse continued for the Cats as they lost to Michigan in an absolute gut-punch of a game. Northwestern made a valiant comeback and took the lead only to see Michigan drive down the field with time running out to kick the game winner. Now we look ahead to the final game at Wrigley for the foreseeable future as the Cats look to pick up win #6 and go Bowling.

Mark as Played
November 11, 2025 78 mins

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.

Mark as Played
November 4, 2025 87 mins

The Northwestern Men's Basketball season tipped off this week with a huge win over Mercyhurst. With so many new faces on the squad, we take a look at the who's who on the team. Also, with Friday's trip to LA looming, what will the football team do to slow down the high octane offense of USC.

Mark as Played
October 28, 2025 86 mins

It was a game much like most of the other Nebraska/Northwestern tilts in that it went back and forth and came down to the last possession. While it always stings to lose to the Huskers, the Cats still find themselves at 5-3 going into their second bye week.

Mark as Played
October 21, 2025 94 mins

It could have easily been a big letdown spot coming off the huge win at Penn State last week, but the Cats came out on a mission, shutting out Purdue in front of the 1995 Rose Bowl team in the final game at Martin Stadium. Now, sitting at 5-2 on the season, the Cats make their way to Lincoln to try and keep the momentum rolling into November.

Mark as Played
October 13, 2025 115 mins

There are moments that define a program. The Rose Bowl season at Notre Dame, 54-51 vs Michigan, Victory Right against Minnesota, Noah Herron walk-off win against Ohio St. and so many more. It would not be hyperbole to look back at this weekend's win at Penn St. and include it in this list. The Cats put on as gutsy a performance as we've seen in quite some time to come away from Happy Valley with the W.

Mark as Played

Now this is what we're talking about! Northwestern finally put together an offensive performance that we have been looking for as they trounced ULM. Now, the Cats now find themselves not only at 3-2, but also looking ahead to a game against Penn State this weekend that all of a sudden looks a whole lot more interesting.

Mark as Played
October 1, 2025 88 mins

We have been saying for some time that this game against the Bruins would be very telling in what to expect from this Northwestern squad this year. While the Cats did play a clean game and many players looked great, there were some major concerns in the strategy and game plan philosophy that we had to get into.

Mark as Played
September 23, 2025 91 mins

With the Cats off this week preparing for a dreadful UCLA squad with their interim coach, we took this opportunity to take stock of the rest of the conference through the lens of our preseason thoughts. Who is looking better than we thought at the start of the season? Who is worse?

Mark as Played
September 17, 2025 100 mins

Northwestern enters their first Bye Week with many questions still unanswered. On one hand, the Cats looked pretty decent against a monster Oregon team. On the other hand, the Offense still remains maddeningly inconsistent and mistake-prone. Today we take stock as we look ahead a week and a half to a dreadful UCLA team who just fired their coach.

Mark as Played

It was a lovely night for some Friday Night Lights and Northwestern did what they needed to do: lay down the wood on their FCS foe. Unfortunately, they also lost Cam Porter for the season with a leg injury. Now, with #4 Oregon looming Saturday morning, what will the Cats need to do and what should we expect to see?

Mark as Played

As Northwestern's Field Hockey squad embarks on their journey to defend their National Championship, John sat down with InsideNU's Editor-in-Chief Yanyan Li to break down the 2025 team.

Mark as Played
September 2, 2025 84 mins

That was certainly not the start to the 2025 season that anyone had anticipated. The Cats gave up 5 turnovers and the offense looked listless throughout the game. Tonight, we take a look back and try to figure out what NU will need to do to right the ship.

Mark as Played

You've heard us talk about the rest, now join us as we talk about the best! That's right, this is the moment you've all been waiting for: our in-depth preview of the 2025 Northwestern Wildcats. We'll dive deep into the defense, the offense, the special teams and much, much more.

Mark as Played
August 25, 2025 37 mins

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?

Mark as Played
August 22, 2025 40 mins

Northwestern wraps up the 2025 home (Wrigley) schedule as we welcome in the Gophers. In what may be the last game in Wrigley for the foreseeable future, PJ Fleck and the Flecktones come in looking to build on recent success. Will they have enough to make some noise at the top of the conference?

Mark as Played
August 20, 2025 39 mins

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.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    Betrayal: Weekly

    Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.