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.

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 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.

Freshman Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help Southern California hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

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.