The last two teams to win the national championship in women’s lacrosse meet for the third consecutive year at the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship, this time in the semifinal on Friday, May 23 as the Boston College Eagles go against the Northwestern Wildcats at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
This game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast on ESPNU. Fans looking to watch can do so for free by using DirecTV, which offers a free trial, or FuboTV, which also offers a free trial as well as up to $25 off your first month. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available for streaming the game. You can stream ESPN+ on your phone, tablet, smart TV or gaming console for $11.99/month or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for just $16.99 per month.
Boston College is the defending champion and looking to make the national championship game for the eighth consecutive tournament. In the last two, the Eagles faced the Wildcats in the title game, with the squads splitting the appearances with Northwestern winning its eighth title in 2023 and BC winning its second in 2024.
Northwestern is in the semifinals for the sixth consecutive tournament looking to avenge its second-place finish from a year ago. The winner of this matchup will either face another regular in the semifinals and the top team in the country, North Carolina, or Florida in the national championship.
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Who: No. 2 Boston College Eagles vs. No. 3 Northwestern Wildcats
When: Friday, May 23 at 5:30 p.m. EDT
Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Stream: DirecTV (free trial); FuboTV (free trial); SlingTV; ESPN+
Betting: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
What is DirecTV?
DirecTV internet television offers practically everything DirecTV provides, except for a remote and a streaming device to connect to your television. Sign up now and get three free months of premium channels including MAX, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and Starz.
What is FuboTV?
FuboTV is an internet television service that offers more than 200 channels across sports and entertainment including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. From the UEFA Champions League to the WNBA to international tournaments ranging across sports, there’s plenty of options available on FuboTV, which offers a free trial and up to $25 off the first month for new customers.
What is Sling TV?
Sling TV offers a variety of live programming ranging from news and sports and starting as low as $20 a month for your first month. Subscribers also get a month of DVR Plus free if they sign up now. Choose from a variety of sports packages without long-term contracts and with easy cancellation.
What is ESPN+?
ESPN+ is a one-stop shop for content from almost every single sport. In addition to on-demand replays of games across all sports shown on the ESPN and Disney family of networks, there is also exclusive access to select college football games, NHL games, soccer matches, UFC programs and the entire 30 for 30 catalogue. Additionally, there is ESPN+ exclusive original programming like NFL Primetime, Dana White’s Contender Series and The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick. You can stream ESPN+ on your phone, tablet, smart TV or gaming console for $11.99/month or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for just $16.99 per month.
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NCAA and Genius Sports extension seeks to protect college athletes from negative prop bets
By MAURA CAREY AP Sports Writer
The NCAA and Genius Sports announced a multi-year expansion of their partnership earlier this year, making Genius the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data to licensed sportsbooks through 2032.
There is a caveat to the agreement, NCAA President Charlie Baker said Tuesday.
“For them to continue to access our data moving forward, there can’t be any sportsbook betting on negative props,” Baker said. “So all the stuff that literally translates into a lot of the worst behavior that’s directed at young people and student-athletes generally under this agreement is going to be off the table.”
College athletes have long been subject to online abuse. In a 2024 study, analysts verified over 5,000 posts towards athletes containing abusive content. Of the abusive posts, the study found 80% were directed at March Madness athletes, with female basketball players receiving about three times more abusive messages than men’s players.
More than 740 instances, or 12% of the abuse, pertained to sports betting.
Baker has heard similar feedback from athletes, but the abuse goes beyond social media. Athletes are pressured to fulfill prop bets, including missing a free throw or muffing a catch.
“Student-athletes don’t like the idea of being approached to begin with around that kind of issue,” Baker said at the Knight Commission of Intercollegiate Athletics meeting. “They especially don’t like being nudged into something that’s not in the best interest of themselves or their teams, and more importantly, they all make clear to me they felt enormous social pressure to quote, help a guy out.”
Most of that pressure comes via social media, but athletes could face some of that in person. An NCAA-conducted survey showed over half of 18- to 22-year-olds were recent sports bettors. Age restrictions didn’t play a factor. Betting rates at ages 18, 19 and 20 were the same as ages 21 and 22, meaning college campuses are full of sports bettors, Baker explained.
The contract negotiation with Genius is one step the NCAA has taken to reduce prop bets and minimize abuse. Other efforts have included tracking and publishing online abuse data and pushing state gaming authorities to peel back rules around college prop bets.
Still, it’s a work in progress.
“At this point, slightly more than half the states that have legalized sports betting do not permit prop betting on college sports, but that still leaves enormous numbers of student-athletes subject to the kind of abuse that comes with this stuff. And I think it will remain, for all intents and purposes, a significant challenge going forward,” Baker said.
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AP Sports Writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.
The Associated Press contributed to this post
