Twenty-five years after his lone national title, Tom Izzo has come up short of a second. Michigan State fell behind by 15 points in the opening minutes and never could fight all the way back.

We are now entering the middle stretch of the USC baseball season. 27 games in, the Trojans sit at 16-11 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten play. Earlier this week, Baseball America released its early projected field for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Trojans narrowly missed the cut, being listed as one of the “first four teams out”.

Nicole Auerbach and Jordan Cornette run through the stories of the NCAA Tournament thus far.

This year's March Madness Sweet 16 wraps up Friday with Houston vs. Purdue. Here are expert picks, predictions and how to watch the game:

While some people may decry the lack of upsets in the first two rounds of the men’s NCAA Tournament, the result is a Sweet 16 filled with the best teams in the country. All four No. 1 seeds are still alive, and there’s plenty of talent on the rosters who are trying to upset them en route to the Elite Eight.

It will be Michigan State’s first game against an SEC team this season and the Rebels, despite finishing sixth in the conference, have impressive wins on their resume. They beat five teams still alive in the Sweet 16 in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and BYU.

Winner: UConn. Sure, it’s easy to dislike coach Danny Hurley, and we aren’t trying to change your mind. But the Huskies pushed top-seeded Florida to the brink in the second round for their first tournament loss since March 17, 2022. That’s damn impressive.