ROUNDTABLE: Predicted Floor, Ceiling and MVP for Northwestern lacrosse in NCAA Tournament

Northwestern lacrosse is two days away from kicking off the NCAA tournament on its home turf in Evanston. Inside NU’s writers offered their predictions for the Wildcats’ chances as they seek their first national championship since 2023. Sai Trivedi Floor : Final Four.

Ceiling : NCAA Championship. Most Valuable Player: Jenika Cuocco This season has been somewhat of a roller coaster for Northwestern lacrosse, but there are two traits this squad clearly possesses – built resilience and elevated play when the stakes are highest. NU’s deflating early-season home loss to Colorado was potentially a blessing in disguise.

It lit a fire under this squad and catapulted them into becoming the first Division I team to beat two IWLCA No. 1-ranked teams in a single season since Florida in 2012. Ironically, both the Buffaloes and the Gators are the two potential opponents the ‘Cats may encounter in the quarterfinals, and the strength of those squads shouldn’t be dismissed.

But regardless, the ‘Cats enter this tournament uniquely equipped to handle the nation’s best, and appear poised to bring all the lessons gained from those contests to bear. That’s why I believe making the Final Four should be the expectation, while being crowned NCAA champions is the obvious – and realistic – goal. There may be some recency bias behind my MVP pick, given that Jenika Cuocco is fresh off the game of her life with 18 saves in the Big Ten title win against Maryland.