NCAA Tournament 2014: Picks, Odds Advice, Updated Schedule After Sweet 16 Day 1
Could March Madness possibly get any more intense?
Day 1 of the Sweet 16 lived up to its billing. The surging Cinderella Dayton Flyers continued their winning ways, upsetting No. 10 Stanford on Thursday.
No. 2 Wisconsin is still rolling along, handling a very good Baylor team with ease. Top seeds Arizona and Florida also moved on to the Elite Eight as well with their own dominating performances.
That was only half of the Sweet 16 action.
With four more games set to take place Friday evening, more action-packed performances are sure to be in store.
Let's take a look at the 2014 NCAA tournament's updated schedule for Day 2 of the Sweet 16 to ensure not a moment of thrilling basketball is missed.
All Your Bracket Essentials:
As brackets continue to fall apart, we'll also take a stab at predicting which four teams will advance to the Elite Eight and go over the updated tournament odds.
Updated Schedule
Now that four teams have already earned trips to the Elite Eight, the field grows increasingly narrower. That will continue on Friday, as four more teams will move on to the next round, while four others will be sent packing.
The intensity continues.
All of the Sweet 16 action can be live streamed on NCAA.com.
Sweet 16 Picks
| Fri., March 28 | |||
| Midwest | No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 11 Tennessee | 7:15 p.m. | CBS |
| East | No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Connecticut | 7:27 p.m. | TBS |
| Midwest | No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 Kentucky | 9:45 p.m. | CBS |
| East | No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 4 Michigan State | 9:57 p.m. | TBS |
Watch out for the Spartans. Michigan State is one of the nation's most well-rounded teams—it is sound on both ends of the court.
Michigan State does play a very talented Virginia defense on Friday; however, the Cavaliers will find it more difficult to put up big points on the Spartans than they did against Memphis.
| East | No. 1 Virginia | No. 4 Michigan State | Michigan State |
| East | No. 3 Iowa State | No. 7 Connecticut | Iowa State |
| Midwest | No. 4 Louisville | No. 8 Kentucky | Louisville |
| Midwest | No. 2 Michigan | No. 11 Tennessee | Michigan |
This matchup has all the makings of an upset.
Kentucky takes on Louisville in another highly contested matchup. The Wildcats are surging after taking down No. 1 Wichita State. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have been struggling.
One cannot deny the prowess of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. He's been flawless in Sweet 16 play and will look to continue his streak on Friday.
Odds Advice
After Florida's 79-68 victory over UCLA on Thursday—and taking into account the team will next face No. 11 Dayton—the Gators look to be the safest best to go the distance going forward.
| Florida | 7-2 |
| Louisville | 7-2 |
| Arizona | 9-2 |
| Michigan State | 9-2 |
| Virginia | 10-1 |
| Wisconsin | 16-1 |
| Michigan | 16-1 |
| Kentucky | 20-1 |
| Iowa State | 25-1 |
| UConn | 28-1 |
| Tennessee | 30-1 |
| Dayton | 85-1 |
Arizona barely squeezed past San Diego State on Thursday and has very difficult tests ahead. The Wildcats will next face No. 2 Wisconsin and possibly Florida if they do earn a trip to the Final Four.
The Wildcats look to be a very risky bet at this stage of the tournament.
The East and Midwest have yet to take part in the Sweet 16 action; however, the best bet could be Michigan at this point.
The Wolverines are a deep, well-rounded team and may not have the toughest of competition remaining in the Midwest Region.
Virginia and Michigan State are two very talented teams. That matchup should be one for the ages and is highly unpredictable. The winner of that contest should go on to take the East.
