March Madness has officially started. The Men's NCAA Tournament will crown a national champion among 68 teams. After the Sweet 16 ended, only eight teams were left. While the first weekend is filled with fun chaos, the second strips down to the best squads with actual hopes of a title.

Freshman Tahaad Pettiford and senior Denver Jones turned in dazzling performances when it mattered most, rallying top-seeded Auburn to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Watkins, responsible for revitalizing the USC women's basketball program after years of dormancy, had to watch the game from Los Angeles. The national player of the year front-runner sustained a season-ending ACL tear in the Trojans' second-round NCAA tournament game against Mississippi State,

South Carolina barely escaped after a Sweet 16 showdown with Maryland. Will their March Madness magic run out in the Elite Eight against Duke?

The UConn Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight with an 82-59 win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Paige Bueckers was the spark -- or better said, the fire -- with 40 points, a career high and a new UConn Women's NCAA Tournament single-game record.

The third-seeded Red Raiders (28-8) earned the matchup against the Gators (33-4) by erasing a 13-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation before winning 85-83 in overtime in the Sweet 16.

Houston is 32-4 and has won 15 consecutive games since Feb. 1, including victories over NCAA Tournament qualifiers Arizona (twice), Iowa State, Texas Tech, Kansas and BYU in Big 12 play. The Boilermakers have made the Sweet 16 the past two seasons.

The No. 4 Auburn Tigers face the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament