Sweet 16 2015: Updated Bracket Information and Upset Predictions

Year after year, what makes the NCAA tournament so great?

Upsets.

In the first few days of March Madness, we saw a ton of underdogs dethrone heavily favored opponents—14th-seeds ran wild in the round of 64, with Georgia State and UAB pulling off miracle wins and Northeastern pushing Notre Dame to the edge.

Then, in the round of 32, seventh-seeds Michigan State and Wichita State emerged victorious over Virginia and Kansas, respectively. Eighth-seeded NC State also took out Villanova, the first of the No. 1s to fall.

The championship hopes of 16 teams still have a pulse. It is no fluke that they have all got this far. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein says that with UAB, Georgia State and Dayton now out, Cinderella is no more.

Rothstein is right—it is a strong field. But don’t expect the upsets to be left behind in the first three rounds.

Sweet 16 Bracket

Upset Predictions

West Virginia over Kentucky
Region: Midwest
Seeds: No. 5 over No. 1

…Just kidding.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

But don't laugh just yet.

While the Mountaineers have had a nice run, the Wildcats are pretty likely to stop them in their tracks. One thing to watch out for, however, is the battle on the offensive glass.

Cincinnati managed to hang with Kentucky for much of their third-round game due to the fact that the Bearcats out-rebounded the Wildcats 21-12 on the offensive end.

This season, West Virginia snagged the second-most offensive boards per game, per TeamRankings.com.

WVU isn’t exactly a great rebounding team, as its ranking on the defensive glass is miles and miles below that impressive offensive number—339th out of 351 teams.

Despite the potential advantage, ESPN's Jeff Goodman doesn't give the Mountaineers much of a shot:

Still, though, the showdown on the glass is something to keep an eye on.

Plus, as Rivals.com's Brett Dawson tweeted, Kentucky—a team that regularly strikes fear in the hearts of opponents—doesn't seem to intimidate WVU:

If West Virginia makes this a game, which would still be pretty surprising, it’ll be because Devin Williams and Jonathan Holton are able to corral a ton of their team’s misfires.

Utah over Duke
Region: South
Seeds: No. 5 over No. 1

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

According to ESPN, 29.4 percent of submitted brackets had Stephen F. Austin upsetting Utah in the first round. The Utes prevailed in a nail-biter, however, and then proceeded to defeat Georgetown in the round of 32.

Now, Utah goes from being the big dog to the underdog against a Duke team overflowing with talent. Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook and Justise Winslow are looking to lead the Blue Devils to their 14th Elite Eight appearance under coach Mike Krzyzewski.

But Utah will be ready.

Both Sports Illustrated and The Salt-Lake Tribune used the word “subdued” to describe the postgame atmosphere in the Utah locker room following the win over Georgetown.

Here’s a telling excerpt from Kyle Goon and Matt Piper of the Tribune, who transcribed quotes from the Utes as they celebrated their Sweet 16 berth (video captured by NCAA.com):

"

"I promise you we're going further than this," said Brandon Taylor, shaking his head and characteristically repeating his words. "I promise you."

Dakarai Tucker shouted into the camera: "We're not done yet."

[Head coach] Larry Krystkowiak brought a bit of a sober mood, saying he was "fearful" of giving an end-of-season speech. And like that, the snapshot of celebration, of total joy was captured and put in the Utes' back pocket.

"

Utah plays impassioned defense as a unit and shoots a high percentage from the field. One of the prides of the Pac-12 has a star in Delon Wright, but this team goes deeper than its best player.

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

As a whole, the Utes shoot 40.8 percent from three-point land and 70.2 percent from the stripe. They also have seven upperclassmen to Duke’s five, per StatSheet.com—and experience matters.

The Dukies won’t go quietly into the night, especially with Jones’ penchant for late-game heroics. But the Utes are still hungry and still focused.

Pencil this one in as the biggest upset of the Sweet 16.

Wichita State over Notre Dame
Region: Midwest
Seeds: No. 7 over No. 3

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Wichita State is the lower seed, but would this really be an upset?

After barely getting past Northeastern and Butler by a combined seven points, Notre Dame is now pitted against the best team in the state of Kansas.

And it’s not the Jayhawks.

Wichita State has been doing this for years: quietly dominating the Missouri Valley Conference in the regular season and then shining on the national stage in March.

The Shockers have been a staple of the madness since 2011-12 and made their biggest statement with a Final Four trip in 2012-13.

Veterans Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker are the heart of this year’s team, and they have used the experience they’ve gained from previous tournaments, like the Final Four run, to their advantage.

“The best teams win in the NCAA tournament," VanVleet said after his team knocked off Kansas on Sunday, per Bleacher Report’s Jason King. “Not the best players.”

Coach Gregg Marshall added that at their best, the Shockers can “beat anyone in the country.”

Notre Dame is lethal from the perimeter and has a star in Jerian Grant, so this one will almost certainly go down to the wire.

Just as VanVleet said, though, the best team is more likely emerge—bruised and battered as it may be after this battle—as the winner.