NCAA Tournament Bracket 2015: Schedule, Top X-Factors for Sweet 16

While it takes a team to be successful over the course of the season, a few key players can make a major difference in the NCAA tournament.

Throughout the first few rounds, we have seen various stars take over and carry their teams into the Sweet 16. Although they might not have been the team's leading scorers throughout the year, these are the men who will decide their team's fate going forward.

Here is a look at the full schedule for the Sweet 16, as well as the players who will serve as X-factors going forward.

	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

Travis Trice, Michigan State

For a good portion of the season, Travis Trice was the third wheel on Michigan State. Denzel Valentine and Branden Dawson filled up the box score while inconsistent play by Trice held the team back.

However, the guard has taken over lately with an average of 18.8 points over his last 11 games. He especially excelled against a tough Virginia defense with 23 points in the upset win.

Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports noted how well he was performing early in the game:

"

Guys, Virginia has the best transition defense in the country, and Travis Trice is just obliterating it.

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 22, 2015"

Trice is a game-changer when he is aggressive and hitting his shots, like he did against a great Cavaliers defense. Although things won't be much easier going forward, he has what it takes to once against carry Michigan State into the next round.

Gabe York, Arizona

John Locher/Associated Press

On a team full of stars, it was Gabe York who had the big game for Arizona in the third round against Ohio State.

With the team sitting back in a zone, the junior busted it by making five of his nine three-point attempts for 19 points in the win. Dan Bonner wasn't impressed with the defensive effort:

Obviously, York would love to face this type of opposition in every game.

"I'm definitely excited if teams want to keep playing that zone against us," the guard said after the game, via Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports. "I have the capability of doing this on a day-to-day basis and I have the confidence because of how I've played lately. It's just a matter of if I get those open looks."

Arizona succeeds thanks to its defense, but the squad sometimes struggles when its star players can't score in the paint. When York is at his best, however, he can spread the floor and completely transform the offense.

If Xavier wants to win, it will have to make sure it does a better job than Ohio State at marking York.

Justise Winslow, Duke

Although Justise Winslow only has 19 points in two NCAA tournament games, he is playing as well as he has all season.

The freshman especially made a huge impact against San Diego State in the round of 32. Against a very good defense, he finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks.

Jonathan Givony of Draft Express compared the play to that of an NBA All-Star:

Numbers aside, Winslow's best skill was grabbing rebounds and quickly pushing the ball to create a fast break on the other end. Even when he didn't finish with the points, it led to plenty of opportunities for his teammates, and the Aztecs had no answer.

Against another strong defensive team like Utah, the forward can be a difference-maker for Duke whether he scores or not.

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