A Quarter-century After His Lone National Title, Tom Izzo Comes Up Short Again In March Madness

Tom Izzo pounded the scorers' table in frustration.

He cusped his hands behind his head, struggling to figure out some way for his Michigan State team to make a few baskets in the NCAA Tournament's South Region final.

During an especially excruciating sequence for the Spartans, he couldn't even bear to watch as one shot after another clanked off the rim, even as his ever-hustling players grabbed three straight offensive rebounds.

Izzo looked away, shaking his head.

A quarter-century after his lone national championship, the title drought for one of college basketball's greatest coaches stretched to another year Sunday.