Sweet 16s and NCAAs: Jumbos on the national stage

In an exciting weekend for Tufts athletics, five winter sports teams are still in action and will be competing in NCAA championships and tournaments.

Men's basketball, ranked at No. 20 in the nation, makes history as the team hosts an NCAA Div. III Sectional this weekend — just one of four teams in the country selected — for the first tournament the team hosted at home at Cousens Gym. The Sweet 16, the third round of the NCAA tournament, features No. 15 Amherst taking on No. 16 Babson at 5 p.m. this evening, before the hosts face-off against No. 12 Johnson & Wales University at 7:30 pm. The winners of each game will meet tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Cousens for an Elite 8 showdown to battle for a ticket to the Final Four.

Adding to the excitement, the No. 7 women's basketball team will also be playing in the Sweet 16 tonight at the University of Scranton, facing off against No. 9 Albright College this evening. If they win, they play the winner of tonight's other matchup featuring the No. 3 hosts against No. 23 Christopher Newport. The undefeated Scranton Lady Royals would pose a major challenge to the Jumbos should both teams make it to the Elite 8 matchup tomorrow night, but the Jumbos are eager to make the Final Four for the third year in a row and claim their first NCAA title.

The men's and women's track and field teams are also at the climax of their indoor seasons as both sent contingents to this weekend's NCAA Div. III indoor national championships at Grinnell College in Iowa, which kicks off today and continues through tomorrow.

Women's lacrosse continues its four-game season-opening homestand to start the season with its third game of the season tomorrow at 2 p.m. on Bello Field against Middlebury. The men's lacrosse team travels to Middlebury for its third game of the season as well, also at 2 p.m. Both teams look to win their third straight games to open the 2016 season.

The fencing team heads to Vassar on Sunday for the NCAA Regionals this weekend, as they hope to qualify for the national championships later this month at Brandeis. Rounding out the action on the weekend, the co-ed sailing team returns to the water as it hosts the Arctic Circle Team Invite tomorrow and Sunday while sending a contingent to compete at the Rudkin Team Race at Roger Williams this weekend.