NCAA Tournament 2015: B/R Expert Predictions, Updated Results for Sweet 16

The Elite Eight is all set.

All three No. 1 seeds and both No. 2 seeds that were still alive after the first weekend took care of business on Thursday and Friday at the NCAA tournament to set up a few marquee weekend matchups with Final Four berths on the line.

No. 1 overall seed Kentucky will continue its pursuit of perfection with a Saturday tilt against the dangerous perimeter attack of No. 3 Notre Dame.

Frank Kaminsky will lead the West Region’s No. 1 seed Wisconsin against No. 2 Arizona.

In the South Region, the ACC’s second representative in the Elite Eight, the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils, will take on a No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs team making its first appearance in a regional final since 1999.

In late action, No. 7 Michigan State proved it still lives for March, knocking off No. 3 Oklahoma to set up an unlikely matchup with No. 4 Louisville.

All results are updated through Friday’s Sweet 16 games. You can continue to follow the NCAA tournament with Bleacher Report’s predictions and live results for the Elite Eight on Saturday.

Gonzaga 74, UCLA 62

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No. 2 seed Gonzaga overcame poor shooting performances from Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pangos to end 11th-seeded UCLA's Cinderella run and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1999.

The Bulldogs defeated the Bruins 74-62 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Przemek Karnowski nearly doubled his season average with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds. His performance bailed out Wiltjer, who connected on just four of his 12 attempts from the field.

Wiltjer posted eight points and 10 boards after dropping 20-plus in wins over North Dakota State and Iowa.

Bryce Alford, who captured some March magic in a second-round upset of SMU, finished with only eight points on 3-of-11 shooting for UCLA.

Top Performers

When Wiltjer only gives you eight points, Pangos gives you 10 and the two combine for a 1-of-10 night from behind the arc, you need someone else to up his game.

Karnowski, who averaged just 10.9 points and 5.7 boards during the regular season, did just that by pumping in 18 and grabbing nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

X-Factor

That's the number of rebounds Gonzaga grabbed tonight.

You can give them credit for hustle and effort or make light of the pretty lackluster shooting night put forth by both teams. You decide.

Next Round

Gonzaga advances to the Elite Eight where it will face No. 1 Duke.

Updated by Kevin McRae

Louisville 75, North Carolina State 65

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No. 4 seed Louisville advanced to its third Elite Eight in the past four years with a 75-65 win over eighth-seeded NC State on Friday night at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

The Cardinals also gained a measure of revenge against a Wolfpack team that knocked them off by a near-identical 74-65 score at the KFC Yum! Center on Feb. 14.

Montrezl Harrell was the difference in the game. The junior forward had only seven points in the regular-season meeting, but he came up big with a game-high 24 points and seven boards in a game with significantly higher stakes.

NC State appeared on the way to continuing its improbable March run, leading 54-53 with just over seven minutes to play before a 14-3 Louisville run opened some space.

The Cardinals scored 22 of the game's final 33 points to close it out.

Top Performers

Harrell reminded us once again why he's one of the best big men in the nation.

His 24 points were the difference in turning back a pesky NC State team.

X-Factor

This was a close, competitive game throughout. That's the kind of thing that happens when you have two teams that are very familiar with each other meeting this deep in the tournament. 

The Cardinals turned it on at just the right moment, turning a one-point deficit into a 10-point lead with under two minutes to play.

Next Round

Louisville advances to the Elite Eight to face No. 7 Michigan State.

Updated by Kevin McRae

Duke 63, Utah 57

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Justise Winslow's coming-out party continued in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, and his No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils advanced to their second Elite Eight in three years with a tough 63-57 victory over stingy No. 5 Utah.

Winslow led the Blue Devils with 21 points and 10 rebounds—his second straight double-double in the tournament—and helped them overcome a sluggish offensive start, which saw the teams combine to miss their first 14 shots.

You'd have to figure that if you told the Utes that they would hold Duke in the 60s they would've liked their chances.

But Utah couldn't overcome a poor shooting night, just 34.4 percent from the field, to make its first Elite Eight since 1998.

Top Performers

Winslow was responsible for getting Duke to the final minutes with the lead, but you have to give a tremendous amount of credit to Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook, who iced the game from the line.

Jones, 9-of-10 for the game from the charity stripe, and Cook, 7-of-8, combined for 10 free throws inside the final three minutes. 

X-Factor

Both teams were stingy on defense, but the Blue Devils were just a little better.

When you only allow Duke to score 63 points you have to feel good about your chances of winning. But not when you connect on less than 35 percent of your own shots.

The Utes were just 7-of-24 from the field in the first half and finished an ugly 21-of-61.

Next Round

Duke advances to the Elite Eight where it will meet No. 2 Gonzaga.

Updated by Kevin McRae

Michigan State 62, Oklahoma 58

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So much for this not being one of Tom Izzo's elite teams.

Sparty is heading back to the Elite Eight for a chance at the Final Four after No. 7 seed Michigan State erased a 10-point deficit and upended No. 3 Oklahoma 62-58 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

The Spartans, who were led by Travis Trice's 24 points and 18 from Denzel Valentine, are the highest remaining seed in the field and didn't lead until the 9:30 mark of the second half.

Trice and Valentine were clutch after the break.

The upperclassmen combined for 27 second-half points, which equalled Oklahoma's entire offensive output after halftime.

Top Performers

Trice continues to be a stud in the tournament.

This was his second straight game of 20-plus points, and his second-half performance was enough to show that the Spartans' Big Ten tournament run wasn't a fluke. This team has peaked at the right time and has a legitimate chance at the Final Four.

X-Factor

Trice and Valentine are two experienced, quality players, but letting them match your team in scoring for a half is inexcusable.

Oklahoma did, and it is going home. 

Next Round

Michigan State will meet No. 4 Louisville in the Elite Eight.

Updated by Kevin McRae

Notre Dame 81, Wichita State 70

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The third-seeded Fighting Irish shook off their struggles of the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament and rolled to an 81-70 victory over seventh-seeded Wichita State in the Sweet 16.

Notre Dame jumped all over Wichita State early, but the Shockers fought back in the first half and trailed by just three points after 20 minutes. However, the Irish took charge in the second half after Wichita State took a one-point lead and kept the Shockers at arm's length from that point forward.

Notre Dame had a blazing shooting night, connecting on 30-of-54 shots from the field, and Demetrius Jackson and Pat Connaughton led the way with 20 and 16 points, respectively. Jackson was consistent throughout the game, connecting on 7-of-10 shots from the field.

Jerian Grant scored just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting, but he was a stellar floor general with 11 assists. Fred VanVleet had 25 points to lead Wichita State, while teammate Darius Carter had 22 points.

Top Performers

It was a brilliant team effort for the Irish as Jackson, Connaughton, Steve Vasturia (15 points) and Zach Auguste (15 points) were all in double figures.

X-Factor

Wichita State never had the energy that it showed in its prior victory over Kansas. The Shockers never got it going from long distance, connecting on just 3-of-18 from beyond the arc. Much of that was due to Notre Dame's outstanding team defense.

Next Round

Notre Dame moves on to the Midwest regional finals on Saturday, where the Irish will play powerful Kentucky.

Updated by Steve Silverman

Wisconsin 79, North Carolina 72

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Top-seeded Wisconsin figured to have a tough time with the fourth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in the West regional semifinals, but the Badgers didn't know it would be such a huge struggle.

The Big Ten champions found themselves trailing, 60-56, with 6:43 remaining in the second half, but Player of the Year candidate Frank Kaminsky hit a three-pointer and that triggered a 9-0 Badgers run that allowed them to take control of the game. Wisconsin then withstood a late North Carolina comeback and held on for a 79-72 victory.

The Badgers were led by Sam Dekker, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Kaminsky had a poor first half, but he returned to form in the second half and finished with 19 points.

Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson had 15 points each to lead the valiant Tar Heels.

Top Performers

Dekker had a sensational game and stepped up when his team needed him most by connecting on 10-of-15 shots from the floor. Kaminsky's big three-pointer in the second half was the key shot in Wisconsin's come-from-behind victory.

X-Factor

The Tar Heels were able to stay in this game because of their sensational three-point shooting. Jackson was 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, while North Carolina made 8-of-13 long-distance shots.

Next Round

Wisconsin moves on to the West regional finals on Saturday, where the Badgers will have to get past second-seeded Arizona in what should be an epic matchup.

Updated by Steve Silverman

Kentucky 78, West Virginia 39

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West Virginia did its talking off the court, but Kentucky left the Mountaineers with nothing but regret.

Dax Miles Jr. of the Mountaineers got some attention when he said that the Wildcats were “gonna be 36-1” and “don't play hard” in the days before the two teams met in the Midwest Sweet 16 encounter. The Wildcats laughed off Miles’ insolence and doubled up West Virginia, 78-39.

Kentucky simply outclassed West Virginia, 44-18, in the first half, and the Mountaineers never came close to posing a serious threat. The Wildcats played with efficiency on offense and determination on defense, and they held West Virginia to 13-of-54 shooting from the field.

Andrew Harrison (13 points), Trey Lyles (14 points) and Devin Booker (12 points) led the Kentucky attack.

Top Performers

It’s difficult to pick any one Kentucky player that stood out, since the Wildcats won the game with ease. However, Lyles was particularly sharp with his 4-of-7 shooting from the floor, 6-of-7 shooting from the line and seven rebounds.

X-Factor

The Wildcats moved to 37-0 with the victory and they are trying to become the first undefeated NCAA champions since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers. Kentucky found extra inspiration when West Virginia started trash-talking in the buildup to the game.

Next Round

Kentucky moves on to the Midwest regional finals on Saturday, where the Wildcats will play a very deep and strong Notre Dame team that should be able to give John Calipari’s bunch a much better game.

Arizona 68, Xavier 60

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Arizona was in real danger of failing to get out of the Sweet 16, but the Wildcats used an 11-2 run in the second half to take charge of the game and defeat Xavier 68-60.

The Musketeers held a 53-49 lead with four minutes remaining, and that’s when Arizona tightened up its defense and went on a 19-7 run to close out Xavier.

T.J. McConnell overcame a slow start and keyed Arizona’s strong second-half performance. He connected on six of 14 shots and led the Wildcats with 17 points.

Xavier's Matt Stainbrook had the Musketeers in position to pull off the upset throughout much of the second half with 17 points and 10 rebounds. However, Xavier could not overcome Arizona's crushing defense in the game's final minutes.

Top Performers

Kaleb Tarczewski was a beast on the boards. He pounded the glass throughout the second half and had a game-high 12 rebounds. Tarczewski also scored 12 points and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

X-Factor

Xavier gave Arizona a nasty battle throughout, but the Wildcats were superb from the free-throw line as they made 17 of their 19 attempts. That shooting was a big difference in the game, and so was the Arizona defense, which held the Musketeers to 3-of-17 shooting from beyond the arc.

Next Round

Arizona gets a chance for revenge against Wisconsin in the West Regional Final. The Badgers defeated the Wildcats in the Elite Eight last year, and Arizona has been counting the days to get a chance for payback. The Wildcats get their opportunity on Saturday.