Sweet 16 2015: Bracket, TV Schedule, Odds and Final 4 Predictions

The opening weekend of the 2015 NCAA tournament lived up to the hype. The Sweet 16 field is complete, but we're only one-third of the way through the action in terms of figuring out who the eventual champion will be.

Sure, the beginning of the Sweet 16 may mark the end of around-the-clock tournament action and prove to be the last time games will be on from just after sunrise until after midnight. But the action ramps up considerably entering the regional semifinals, as the stakes continue to be raised higher and higher.

Many of these teams took interesting routes to get here, but two more wins are all that stands between any of them and a trip to Indianapolis.

Here's an early look into this weekend's Sweet 16 matchups and a preview of who will make up the Final Four grouping.

Bracket

Time (ET)	Matchup (Spread)*	TV	Location
Thursday, March 26
7:15 p.m.	No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State (-1)	CBS	Cleveland
7:47 p.m.	No. 1 Wisconsin (-5.5) vs. No. 4 North Carolina	TBS	Los Angeles
9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky (-13) vs. No. 5 West Virginia	CBS	Cleveland
10:17 p.m.	No. 2 Arizona (-11) vs. No. 6 Xavier	TBS	Los Angeles
Friday, March 27
7:15 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga (-8.5) vs. No. 11 UCLA	CBS	Houston
7:37 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville (-2.5) vs. No. 8 N.C. State	TBS	Syracuse
9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Duke (-5) vs. No. 5 Utah	CBS	Houston
10:07 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State (-2)	TBS	Syracuse

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated March 23 

Final Four Predictions

Midwest: No. 1 Kentucky

The opening weekend of the tournament brought a bitter end to many Final Four contenders—including No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Virginia in the East Region, namely—but it did nothing to quell the hype surrounding the Kentucky Wildcats.

Head coach John Calipari's crew made a mockery of its second-round foe, No. 16 Hampton, as expected, but a harder match awaited in the third round. The Wildcats were able to pull away from No. 8 Cincinnati in the second half, however, and win rather comfortably despite a tough test.

An upset at the bottom of the bracket helped pave the way even more after No. 7 Wichita State toppled No. 2 Kansas. But it's just hard to envision anyone in this region—whether it's West Virginia in the Sweet 16 or either Notre Dame or Wichita State in the Elite Eight—doing much to test the Wildcats.

Kentucky is a matchup nightmare against any team it suits up against, and that will be even more evident without a complete frontcourt on any of the teams still left in the region. Even when they aren't at their best, the Wildcats are nearly impossible to beat with two platoons of star-studded players.

Either Wisconsin or Arizona could test Kentucky in the Final Four, but don't expect any slip-up from UK until then.

West: No. 1 Wisconsin

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The two giants out in the West Region are still standing, but the one who got the best of the other last time around still stands pat as the favorite.

It may have taken some good fortune for the Wisconsin Badgers to get past Arizona in the Elite Eight this time last year, but the No. 1 seed in the West Region has the look of a championship team this season. The Badgers showed in a round-of-32 win over Oregon that they can play far from their best offensively and still pull out wins over quality opponents.

You can get into a dogfight with Bo Ryan's crew, but it's usually not to your benefit, as CBS Sports' Seth Davis noted:

Arizona has the starting lineup capable of giving the Badgers the ultimate test in what could be one of the best college basketball games of the season. Oh, and it will also be for the right to face Kentucky should the Wildcats keep winning and advance to the Final Four.

But until Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes show a reason to believe otherwise, it's still Wisconsin's region to lose.

East: No. 4 Louisville

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

In a twist from most seasons, Louisville came in somewhat under the radar into the NCAA tournament. But nobody will be overlooking the Cardinals after the opening weekend of the Big Dance.

That's because Rick Pitino and Co. have danced their way into the Sweet 16 once again. The Cardinals stepped up to the task against a similarly tough defensive opponent in Northern Iowa, posting one of their most impressive performances of the season in a 66-53 win.

Louisville has struggled shooting during most of the season, but Terry Rozier was on fire with 25 points Sunday. His continued stroke could be a driving force this weekend, according to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde:

Of course, it doesn't exactly hurt their chances that the top two seeds in the region have already bowed out, as CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein noted:

The Cardinals have a tough foe in the Sweet 16 awaiting with fellow ACC standouts N.C. State coming off a win over Villanova, and the Wolfpack topped Louisville in their only meeting this season. But Louisville has looked like a different team in the tournament and will be ready for a familiar foe.

Pitino and Louisville look poised to rummage through what's left of a torn-apart East Region.

South: No. 1 Duke

Bob Leverone/Getty Images

Remember last season, when third-seeded Duke fell in its opening game of the tournament to No. 14 Mercer? That feels like a lot more than a year ago.

Since then, the Blue Devils have had the luxury of welcoming three star-caliber freshman in Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and—the best is saved for last—Jahlil Okafor, who became the first freshman ever to win the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He's once again proving himself as March Madness rolls along, as per ESPN Stats & Info:

A tough-nosed defensive unit in No. 8 San Diego State figured to be a difficult third-round matchup, but the Blue Devils laid a 67-48 smackdown on the Aztecs to leave no question of their place in the Sweet 16. Their regional semifinal opponent in Utah offers a similar matchup, but the Utes don't have the firepower offensively to hang around for 40 minutes.

No. 2 Gonzaga is still lurking as a potential Elite Eight matchup in what could prove to be one of the most exciting games of the year. The Bulldogs have looked impressive in the opening weekend but will be hard-pressed to match the Blue Devils' guard play and inevitable post advantage with Okafor.

A couple of complete team efforts were needed by Duke to prove its worth as a Final Four contender, and the Blue Devils have given just that in the opening few days of the Big Dance.