The revamped high school baseball state playoff brackets are out, and two area teams landed No. 1 seeds in the postseason.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson knows his team can always rely on defense to win games.

Norfolk State coach Robert Jones has a monster chip on his shoulder entering his team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 1 seed Florida.

The Columbia women’s basketball team plays in an intimate 2,700-set gym nestled in Manhattan that is nowhere to be found on the national sports landscape.

Michigan State has joined rare air in college basketball over the last half-century with coaching longevity and championships.

The Spartans completed their romp through the Class 1A playoff bracket, routing Pine 4-0 to win the state championship on Saturday afternoon at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand. It marked the 15th state title in program history for the Spartans and iconic head coach Mike Pickett.

Providence hung with Miami Country Day until the final minutes but couldn’t overtake the Spartans in the girls basketball Class 2A state championship on Saturday.

The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team barreled into the state championship game for a shot at bringing home another gold medal.

Episcopal and St. Johns Country Day are moving on to the girls soccer state semifinals.

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo followed one of the most disappointing losses of his coaching career with a record-setting victory.

Jaxson Kohler had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Tre Holloman scored 14 points and No. 11 Michigan State rallied to beat Illinois 79-65 and giving the Spartans’ Tom Izzo the most conference wins in Big Ten history.

Jai’Den Thomas ran for 135 yards and the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter to help No. 23 UNLV keep its conference title hopes alive with a 27-16 victory over San Jose State.

Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez says she is heartbroken over turmoil surrounding San Jose State volleyball this season.

The San Jose State women’s volleyball team’s quest for perfection ended with its first loss of the season at Colorado State.

St. Johns Country Day completed its baseball mission in unforgettable fashion — a walk-off win for the first state championship in program history.

For the second consecutive game, James Gilson delivered the walk-off winner, this one a two-run, two-out double over the centerfielder’s head to give the Spartans dramatic 5-4 win over Northside Christian in the Class 2A state semifinals in Fort Myers on Monday morning.

News4JAX Super 6 No. 1 St. Johns Country Day led the way for area teams as the Florida High School Athletic Association announced the playoff bracket on Saturday morning.

The News4JAX Super 6 high school baseball rankings will be published each Friday during the regular season. Records are through April 25 games.

The News4JAX Super 6 high school baseball rankings will be published each Friday during the regular season. Records are through April 11 games.

RJ Davis scored 20 points to help North Carolina beat Michigan State 85-69 in the NCAA Tournament, pushing the Tar Heels to the Sweet 16 while keeping them unbeaten in March Madness against Spartans Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo.

Tyson Walker scored 19 points and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo picked up his 20th win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as his ninth-seeded Spartans beat eighth-seeded Mississippi State 69-51.

March Madness kept Tom Izzo sleepless for more than 24 hours before he heard and saw Michigan State made it into a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Zach Edey had 29 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks for third-ranked Purdue as the Boilermakers recovered from a blown 12-point lead to beat Michigan State 67-62 in a hard-nosed quarterfinal game in the Big Ten Tournament.

St. Johns Country Day’s girls soccer team is going to have to wait to get back to its championship-winning ways.

St. Johns Country Day is headed back to the girls soccer state semifinals.

One member of the "Spartans" helicopter squadron based out of NAS Jacksonville met his baby for the first time Sunday when the pilots returned from a nearly nine-month deployment.

No. 8 Washington visits Michigan State on Saturday.

Far-right parties have made a comeback in Greek parliamentary elections, including the Spartans party backed by a jailed former lawmaker from an organization linked to violent street attacks against migrants and left-wing activists.

A rough first inning was too much for the St. Johns Country Day baseball team to overcome.

The Spartans had used a fast start to beat Westminster Academy 8-3 in the Class 2A state semifinals on Thursday at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. St. Johns will face Lakeland Christian on Saturday at 11 a.m. for the championship.

The St. Johns Country Day baseball team was delayed, not denied. One season after a regional final heartbreak, the Spartans are back on the state stage and ready to make up for lost time.

Michigan State coach Mel Tucker hopes he doesn’t have this long of an offseason ever again.

Joey Hauser scored 17 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State clamped down defensively on No. 10 seed Southern California in the second half for a 72-62 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s East Region.

Purdue and Marquette were far from the favorites in their own conferences going into the season.

Taliah Scott had a sizzling game for St. Johns Country Day, but the Spartans couldn’t overcome the size of Faith Christian in a 77-65 loss in the Class 2A state semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.

The dynasty has shown no signs of slowing down. But Mike Pickett does his best to get one point across. Enjoy the journey.

Michigan showed its support for rival Michigan State with a poignant pregame ceremony before the Wolverines took an 84-72 win on Saturday night, the first game for the Spartan men since a shooting on the their campus that killed three students and wounded five others.

The state semifinals are the next stop for Bishop Kenny, Oakleaf, Providence and St. Johns Country Day.

It’s back to familiar territory for area girls soccer royalty.

Four area girls high school soccer teams are still standing tall.

The Bishop Kenny, Oakleaf, Providence, Ridgeview and St. Johns Country Day’s girls basketball teams all stamped their tickets to the third round of the state playoffs on Tuesday night.

Next stop, the third round of the state playoffs for five area girls high school soccer teams.

St. Johns Country Day girls soccer has been so successful — they’ve won 14 state titles, including the last 11 in a row — that head coach Mike Pickett treats everything before the playoffs as a warmup. He picks some of the best teams in the nation to make up one of the most difficult schedules in the state for a reason. He wants his team to be challenged. On Friday, the Spartans play for a spot in the regional finals, the next step toward another championship.

Zach Edey scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, helping No. 1 Purdue beat Michigan State 77-61.

Zach Edey made a go-ahead shot at the front of the rim with 2.2 seconds left and finished with a career-high 32 points and 17 rebounds to help No. 3 Purdue hold off Michigan State 64-63.

C.

Only three area high school baseball teams were left standing after the third round of the state playoffs.

The News4JAX Super 6 baseball rankings will be published each Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Results are through April 11 games.

The News4JAX Super 6 baseball rankings will be published each Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Results are through April 4 games.

There’s no looking back. No living in the past. No regrets on the near-miss of a state baseball championship. Not anymore.

The News4JAX Super 6 baseball rankings will be published each Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Results are through March 28 games.

The NCAA Tournament's South Carolina site for opening-round games is filled with postseason-tested coaches.

The News4JAX Super 6 baseball rankings will be published each Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Results are through March 14 games.

The madness arrived early this year.

The beat goes on and on and on for the St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team.

The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team continues to make history.

It was a perfect night area girls soccer teams, with Creekside, Fletcher and St. Johns Country Day all winning state semifinal games on Friday.

Spots in the girls high school soccer state championship games are on the line when teams take the pitch on Friday night.

St. Johns Country Day came up one win short of a storybook season.

The St. Johns Country Day baseball team will play for a state championship.

The stage was set for this to happen a year ago at St. Johns Country Day. This year, the Spartans baseball team made up for that lost time.

Fleming Island and St. Johns Country Day will join Baker County, Bolles and Ponte Vedra in the third round of the high school baseball state playoffs.

High school baseball season is back and so are our Super 6 rankings. They’ll be published every Thursday during the regular season. District tournaments begin Monday so this is the final ranking of the season. Records are through April 20 games.

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime on Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Once overtime came around, Juzang hit the first two baskets of the extra session to give UCLA the lead. Michigan State was 16 of 18 from the foul line but missed one in overtime. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981.

The Spartans are seeking their 23rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance. In the Mountain West, Colorado State and Utah State succeeded where Boise State failed. Those two teams advanced to the semifinals of that tournament and have a chance to keep padding their resumes at a time when several other bubble teams can't. GAME TO WATCHColorado State faces Utah State in a Mountain West semifinal. On Thursday, Colorado State was one of the last at-large teams projected to make the field at bracketmatrix.com, and Utah State was one of the first teams out.

(1) St. Johns Country Day (8-0, Class 2A)Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Bolles, Glynn Academy, Spruce Creek, University Christian. Glance: This is your weekly reminder that St. Johns is very, very good this year. 1 St. Johns on Feb. 20. (5) Bolles (8-2, Class 4A)Notable wins: Clay, Mandarin, St. Joseph. 1 St. Johns Country Day.

A St. Johns Country Day double wasn’t meant to be this year. While the Spartans had success in the now-defunct fall soccer series, they hadn’t been this far in the FHSAA’s winter playoff format. All of St. Johns’ soccer success lies on the girls side. Canterbury (21-3-1) used a pair of goals from Riley Johnson and Sam Schoensee to beat St. Johns. St. Johns’ season ends at 16-3-1.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school baseball season is back and so are our Super 6 rankings. (1) St. Johns Country Day (6-0, Class 2A)Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Bolles, Glynn Academy, Ridgeview. There’s an excellent Clay County showdown a week from Friday with a home game against the Blue Devils from Green Cove Springs. Glance: Another Clay County team, another sterling start. The Bears slide due to inactivity this week and stay in the Super 6 ahead of Providence and Trinity Christian.

The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team celebrates its 6-0 win over Canterbury on Wednesday in the Class 2A championship game. The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team added one more state championship to its trophy case, obliterating Fort Myers Canterbury 6-0 in the Class 2A title game at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand on Wednesday afternoon. A total of 27 Spartans players scored at least one goal this season, creating depth and setting the table for 2022. AdThe championship game looked like any other Spartans conquest, a thorough domination that showcased just how far apart the program is from others. St. Johns scored on a Mia Sadler header less than 20 seconds into the game and Paige Crews added a second goal not even a minute later.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – It is a good time to be a St. Johns Country Day soccer fan. This week, both the boys and girls teams will be playing in DeLand in state championship games. The Spartans boys are in the state championship game for the first time. Under the current winter sports format, St. Johns Country Day has never won a boys soccer state championship. St. Johns has 12 state championships in program history and is quickly catching up to state leader St. Thomas Aquinas’ 15 titles.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three girls soccer teams and one boys squad are playing for state championships this week in DeLand. Bartram has won 13 straight games, with just two losses (2-1 games against St. Johns Country Day and Montverde). Road here: St. Johns CD d. Bishop McLaughlin, 8-0; d. St. Joseph, 4-0; d. Tallahassee Maclay, 3-2 (PKs); d. St. Edward’s, 4-0; Canterbury d. Marco Island Academy, 8-0; d. Community School of Naples, 4-1; d. Bradenton Christian, 2-1; d. Westminster Academy, 3-1. Glance: A soccer team at St. Johns Country Day shining in the postseason is nothing new. Could the first soccer state championship in the non-fall series for St. Johns’ boys program be next?

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in College Park, Md. “We’re not safe in anything yet,” coach Tom Izzo said after Ohio State win. 4 nationally in December, Michigan State started 2-7 in league play and was unranked by mid-January. AdThe Indiana, Illinois and Ohio State wins helped push the Spartans to 4-9 in Quadrant 1 games. Michigan State hosts the Hoosiers on Tuesday then closes with consecutive games against third-ranked Michigan.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Five area girls soccer teams and three boys squads are headed for the state final four. Bartram Trail, Bolles, Fleming Island, Ponte Vedra and St. Johns Country Day’s girls teams all won their third-round matches on Tuesday night and advanced to Friday’s state semifinal games. For the boys, Bolles and St. Johns Country Day won their matches in penalty kicks to advance to the state semifinals. That means it’s another busy Friday night in the area for soccer programs, with state championship berths on the line. St. Johns Country Day coasted into the state semifinals, blanking Tallahassee Maclay 5-0 in the Region 1-2A final.

The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team blanked Shorecrest Prep 4-0 to win the Class 2A state championship, its ninth consecutive. The Spartans lead the way into the 2021 playoffs, which begin Tuesday night for area boys and girls teams. The boys and girls soccer state playoffs begin Tuesday night with a full slate of games for area teams. The big question — will we see another season like area girls teams produced in 2020? Yonge (14-0-2)Region 1-2ABishop McLaughlin (6-3-3) at St. Johns Country Day (13-0), 6 p.m.St. Joseph (4-10) vs.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo has tested positive for COVID-19. 8 Michigan State beat No. “They are able to play at a consistently higher level than us due to their depth right now," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Malik Hall added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Michigan State. “I’m going to smile and enjoy it because I haven’t done a very good job against Duke," Izzo said.

Rocky Lombardi threw for 323 yards, including 196 to Ricky White, and three touchdowns to help Michigan State stun the Wolverines 27-24 on Saturday. Tucker became just the second coach to beat Michigan in his first attempt with the Spartans, joining Alabama coach Nick Saban, who did it in 1995. The former Colorado coach started his career as a graduate assistant for Saban at Michigan State in 1997. The onside kick was recovered by Michigan State running back Connor Heyward. “State fans and former players and everyone deserve the brand of football that we were able to show out there," Tucker said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – St. Johns Country Day’s football team is making a comeback. Johns is pleased to announce that it has joined the Sunshine State Athletic Conference for the remainder of the 8-man varsity football season. Spartans athletic director Traci Livingston said the school was excited to be able to relaunch the football season in this year. St. Johns plays as an independent in the Florida High School Athletic Association. Area schools Christ’s Church, Cedar Creek Christian, Eagle’s View and Providence play in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference’s varsity 11-man division.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. St. Johns Country Day will end its football season after a week due to a growing number of obstacles and the extended coronavirus pandemic, the school said on Wednesday. Johns Spartan football has faced a number of obstacles this fall, including the delayed start, and many other effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, at this time, in order to preserve the health and safety of our student-athletes, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the varsity football season, she said. St. Johns Country Day was scheduled to face Joshua Christian this week. St. Johns finished 3-4 last season.

1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball preseason poll for the first time in program history. 8 in the preseason poll. Michigan State had been ranked No. THE TOP TIERRoughly half of the voters (33 of 65) chose Michigan State, Kentucky and Kansas in some order atop their ballot. 23 Purdue joined Michigan State and Maryland for the Big Ten's quartet, while the SEC had No.