Sweet 16 2015: Complete Schedule, Updated Bracket and Predictions

Most casual college basketball fans tune in for just the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, but there is plenty of reason to keep watching as we head into the Sweet 16.

While there won't be a crazy schedule of 16 games in a day like there were in the first two days, there is a greater importance on each matchup at this point. Every squad remaining has what it takes to make a run at the Final Four and, if things go well, win a national championship.

The upcoming eight games are certain to be exciting, so here is a look at the full schedule and what to watch for during the next two days.

	Thursday
	Friday
Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Pick
7:15 p.m.	No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State	CBS	Notre Dame
7:47 p.m.	No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 North Carolina	TBS	Wisconsin
9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 5 West Virginia	CBS	Kentucky
10:17 p.m.	No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Xavier	TBS	Arizona
7:15 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA	CBS	Gonzaga
7:37 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 North Carolina State	TBS	NC State
9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah	CBS	Duke
10:07 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State	TBS	MSU

Top Storylines

Can Anyone Beat Kentucky?

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The big story in the NCAA tournament has been the same story for the entire season. Kentucky has cruised through the year with an undefeated record, winning all 36 of its games to this point.

While every round makes it more likely the Wildcats will run the table and finish 40-0, there are certainly teams capable of making things interesting. ESPNU provides a look at potential teams capable of pulling off an upset:

However, West Virginia will try to show why you can't look too far ahead. The Mountaineers will face the Wildcats in the Sweet 16 and are the type of difficult mismatch that could cause any team problems.

According to KenPom.com, West Virginia ranks No. 1 in the nation in turnover rate, which could not only slow down Kentucky's offense but could lead to easy points on the other end. Add in the ability to get second-chance points with great offensive rebounding, and this team should be able to score against a tough defense.

Considering the Mountaineers have almost as much depth as Kentucky, this should be an interesting battle throughout.

More Upsets in East Region?

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

As soon as the brackets came out, it was clear the East region featured the most uncertainty. Most fans hadn't watched No. 1 Villanova play many games this year while No. 2 Virginia had struggled offensively down the stretch.

Somewhere in the madness, the region lived up to expectations, as both top seeds were eliminated in the first weekend. This leaves No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Louisville, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 8 North Carolina State in a wide-open bracket.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports actually likes one of the lower seeds to make it out of the pack:

Interestingly, the Spartans are actually favored in their upcoming game against Oklahoma despite having a lower seed, according to Odds Shark. North Carolina State also showed it can beat Louisville with a win earlier in the season.

Most people have likely ripped up their brackets at this point, but the reality is anyone can come away with a win in this region.

Continued ACC Dominance

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

There are different ways to rate a conference as a whole. A league like the Big 12 showed a lot more depth throughout the year while the ACC is undeniably weak at the bottom.

However, it's difficult to not be impressed by what the conference has done to this point in the NCAA tournament. The ACC goes into the Sweet 16 with an 11-1 record, with five teams still alive and only Virginia falling.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino is new to the conference but wasn't surprised by its success, via Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal:

"

The one thing we saw in all of this is—some people said the ACC is very strong at the top, not only very strong at the top, but everybody said you could see multiple teams in the Sweet 16, in the Elite 8, in the Final Four from the ACC. I think you could see any of us make the Elite 8, the Final Four. Obviously one of us—between NC State and us—will make the Elite 8.

"

While Louisville and North Carolina State will ensure that both teams won't make the next round, teams like Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame have what it takes to keep winning and have a high number of representatives in the Elite Eight.

Whether this means the ACC is a better conference as a whole is still debatable, but these top teams are clearly a step above the rest.

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