Sweet 16 2015: Complete Viewing Guide and Bracket Picks for Next Round

The 2015 iteration of the Sweet 16 looks familiar. 

There's the old guard regardless of seed, such as Michigan State and Louisville. There are perennial powerhouses such as Kentucky and Duke. "They're not supposed to be here" teams such as UCLA are in attendance, as are budding programs such as Wichita State.

In other words, fans need to practice the sick voice to call off work, dial the babysitter and hit the store for calorie-laden snacks—the Sweet 16 comes just once a year and will once again deliver.

Below, let's take a look at the critical factors surrounding the two-day event.

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2015 Sweet 16 Schedule 

	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. 8 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

Breaking Down Toughest Picks

No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State

It's hard to name a game tougher to figure out.

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF
Notre Dame	3	102
Wichita St.	16	13

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Wichita State Shockers rank right next to one another in ESPN's RPI rankings. As efficiency rankings at KenPom.com show, both teams know how to put on a show on the offensive end of the court.

Both teams even feature star players. The Fighting Irish lean on senior Jerian Grant, who averages 16.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists. For the Shockers, it's junior Ron Baker, owner of 14.9, 4.4 and 2.5 averages in the same areas.

So how to tell the two apart?

To be blunt, Notre Dame has looked shaky at best, surviving 14th-seeded Northeastern by four points in the second round before a three-point escape of sixth-seeded Butler.

The same doesn't apply to the Shockers. They took care of business against Indiana before upsetting second-seeded Kansas in dominant fashion, 78-65. Journalist Chris Dokish puts it best:

Notre Dame figures to be next on the list.

The Shockers tout the defense to shut down what the Fighting Irish bring to the table, whereas Notre Dame has yet to show it can stop anybody in the bracket. A shootout won't always favor Notre Dame, even more so against these Shockers. 

Prediction: Wichita State 78, Notre Dame 70

No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA

Call this the most deceptive showdown of the week. 

UCLA is the owner of a double-digit seed, ranked 49th in RPI to Gonzaga's eighth, and by most accounts didn't deserve to hear its name called on Selection Sunday in the first place.

Yet here the Bruins are.

Longtime collegiate basketball fans know the drill—UCLA birthed the iconic Adam Morrison-crying spectacle back in 2006. Even worse, the Bulldogs continue to make a habit of walking out the door in the Sweet 16, as ESPN College BBall illustrates:

"

In its past four Sweet 16 appearances, Gonzaga has lost. Bulldogs look to end the drought next week vs. UCLA. pic.twitter.com/EqzFUw6USF

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 23, 2015"

If the trend is to come to an end, it needs to be this year.

UCLA is a great story, but a one-point escape of sixth-seeded SMU in the second round isn't convincing, and neither is beating up on 14th-seeded UAB. On the other hand, Gonzaga took care of business against North Dakota State before blowing seventh-seeded Iowa out of the water, 87-68.

Considering the Bulldogs have lost just twice and rank 10th in scoring at 79.1 points per game and first in field-goal percentage at .534, it's hard to imagine the Bruins can show enough on the defensive end of the court to halt the onslaught.

The numbers aren't inflated, either, as the Bulldogs rank fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom.com.

UCLA will hang tough, but this time Gonzaga appears to have what it takes to avoid tragedy. 

Prediction: Gonzaga 74, UCLA 69

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah

It's understandable to pick the Utah Utes in this particular matchup. 

Really—Duke has its defensive lapses here and there, and Utah is through one of the upset-minded portions of the bracket.

The Utes, 20th in RPI, avoided a scary 12-over-5 scenario in the second round by overcoming Stephen F. Austin, then upset fourth-seeded Georgetown by shooting 57.9 percent from the field.

Perhaps most impressive about Utah is the way the Utes stack up against the Blue Devils in the efficiency department:

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF
Duke	2	45
Utah	18	7

The thing is, Duke looks unstoppable at this point after steamrolling Robert Morris and blowing away what was supposed to be a defensive-minded San Diego State squad, 68-49.

Utah doesn't have anyone who can bang down low with Jahlil Okafor, who sounds more focused than ever.

"It would mean the world to me," Okafor said, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I've always wanted to win a national title. ... That's what [the freshmen] came to Duke to have an opportunity to win a national title. That is where all of my focus has been this season, and that is what it still is."

Utah won't have the firepower to keep pace with the red-hot Blue Devils when the contest turns into a shootout. Look for Okafor and the Blue Devils to pull away late from a game Utes squad. 

Prediction: Duke 74, Utah 70

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.