Well before Notre Dame tipped off the 2024-25 season, most people believed it would be a national championship contender. For most of the season, the Irish rewarded that faith by beating some of women's basketball's best teams in nonconference play,

The men's Final Four will take place on April 5 and 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. It will be San Antonio's fifth time as a Final Four host and the first since Villanova's win in 2018.

To get to Atlanta for the NCAA's second weekend, and then San Antonio in April, MSU needs to show the resolve it has all season and find an extra gear to reach the potential Izzo believes the Spartans have. The goal: To reach a ceiling they hope will result in his second national title.