Tufts sports teams look ahead to weekend games

The winter sports season is nearing the end for most teams, and that means NESCAC Championships and the postseason is coming up. The Daily is here to give you a rundown of how your favorite teams are doing and where they are playing this weekend.

The men’s basketball team enters the most important weekend of its season thus far, sitting at third place in the NESCAC as it heads into a pair of home games against Amherst and Trinity, the first and second place teams respectively. Coming off of a trio of dominant wins in the past week, the Jumbos seem to be just hitting their peak and are heading into the weekend with confidence, which they will need going into these decisive games. The action kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. with the Trinity game at Cousens Gym and continues tomorrow at 2 p.m. with the Amherst game.

The women’s basketball team has had yet another stellar season, as they are currently second in the NESCAC with a 7-0 conference record and an 18-2 overall record. The women also face off against Trinity and Amherst, though they will be on the road all weekend. This evening, Tufts looks to easily handle Trinity, which had yet to win a conference game this season. Then tomorrow, they will face off with Amherst, the first-place team in the NESCAC with an undefeated overall record, in a battle for the first seed in the penultimate regular season game before the playoffs.

The hockey team also has a pair of games this weekend; a home-away back to back with Connecticut College. This is the first meeting of the two teams this year, and with the Camels having yet to win a conference game, the Jumbos should come out of the weekend with a couple more wins. The series begins on Tufts' home ice at the Malden Valley Forum at 7 p.m. tonight.

Men’s and women’s squash will both be competing in the NESCAC Championships this weekend. The men’s team enters the tournament as the ninth seed — the highest they have been seeded in recent years — as they start their weekend against eighth-seeded Amherst. The winner goes on to play the defending national champions from Trinity. The women enter as the 10th seed and open their weekend against the Bates Bobcats. The winner will play against the second seed, Amherst.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams, are hosting a field of New England teams again this weekend with the Tufts Cupid Challenge at home tomorrow. The action begins at 10 a.m. at the Gantcher Center as both teams look to continue their hot starts to the season.

Men’s and women’s swimming and diving are the only winter teams with the weekend off, as they remain busy tuning up their stroke just before the NESCAC Championships, which will be next Friday to Sunday for the women and the 19th to the 21st for the men.