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

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This time last year, the ACC and Big East were entering the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with a combined record of 14-1 and comprising seven teams of the Sweet 16 field. By contrast, the Big Ten and SEC placed just two teams apiece among the final 16 in 2024 after the conferences earned eight bids each to the Big Dance.

The Big Ten enters March Madness with high expectations, and hopes to snap a decades-long streak without a national championship.

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”.

The Big Ten advanced four teams to the second weekend of the 2025 NCAA tournament and has a 12-4 record through 16 games.

Backed by Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith, Purdue entered the tournament as the Midwest Region's No. 4 seed. The Boilermakers traded buckets with the No. 13-seed High Point Panthers for a majority of the first half, but a strong final five minutes before intermission fueled Matt Painter's team to a 10-point halftime lead.

Since joining the Big Ten Conference, the Oregon Ducks basketball team has logged more than 26,000 miles traveling to and from games. That's almost the equivale