ANDY ENFIELD

The NCAA has hit Southern California’s men's basketball program with two years’ probation and a $5,000 fine because of a former assistant who violated NCAA ethical conduct rules when he accepted a bribe to steer players to a business management company.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)It’s not easy to bury a team as good as USC, let alone in a half, no matter how easy Gonzaga made it look. He asked Few the day before their game against the high-flying Trojans whether his defense was getting lost in the shuffle. “Obviously, I think he’s the best defender in the country,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. Then Baylor’s bout with the virus came late in the season, requiring a pause of three weeks plus. After everything else fans weathered throughout this wacky season, a few more days might finally deliver a national championship game worth the wait.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)INDIANAPOLIS – Southern California coach Andy Enfield is taking another program back to the Sweet 16. Marcus Garrett had 15 points for Kansas (21-9), which had never lost an NCAA tourney game by more than 16 points. AdMobley's four first-half 3s, doubling his career best for an entire game, staked the Trojans to a 40-21 lead at the break. Kansas trimmed its deficit to 16 early in the second half, but Enfield immediately called timeout and the momentum was over. BIG PICTURESouthern California continued a banner tournament for the Pac-12, which is now 9-1 with four of its five teams reaching the Sweet 16.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)Gonzaga and Baylor spent almost the entire season holding down the top two spots in the Top 25. Makes sense they'd hold down a bunch of spots on The Associated Press All-America teams. The Bulldogs' Corey Kispert and the Bears' Jared Butler led the way with first-team nods Tuesday from the national panel of 63 media members that vote each week in the AP Top 25 poll. Just like the first- and second-team All-Americans, their teams also will be playing in the NCAA Tournament this week. ___AP Basketball Writer John Marshall and AP Sports Writers Michael Marot and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)Many of the nation’s brightest prospects in the most recent recruiting class didn’t necessarily select the most obvious schools. In the meantime, four of the top seven players chose Oklahoma State, Southern California, Stanford and Florida State. Jerry Meyer, the director of basketball scouting at 247Sports, says he noticed this trend starting in 2015. Barnes is ranked seventh in the 247Sports Composite and played high school basketball at Montverde (Florida) Academy. He was named the California male athlete of the year and the California basketball player of the year by USA Today.