NCAA Tournament Schedule 2015: Thursday's Sweet 16 Bracket Picks, Live Stream

The 2015 NCAA tournament returns on Thursday with a quartet of Sweet 16 games. The teams still standing after the first week of what's probably best described as controlled chaos are now just four victories away from a national championship.

Kentucky, the Big Dance's top overall seed, once again takes center stage. The Wildcats will put their 36-0 record on the line against West Virginia. They survived the opening weekend without getting seriously tested, but the Mountaineers represent a unique challenge.

So let's check out all of the important details for Thursday's action. That's followed by a look at the updated March Madness bracket and a breakdown of what to expect on the first day of the Sweet 16.

Viewing Information

Time: 7:15 p.m. ET first tip

Channels: CBS and TBS

Live Stream: March Madness Live

Thursday's Schedule

Time (ET)	Team	Team	TV
7:15 p.m.	(3) Notre Dame	(7) Wichita State	CBS
7:47 p.m.	(1) Wisconsin	(4) North Carolina	TBS
9:45 p.m.	(1) Kentucky	(5) West Virginia	CBS
10:17 p.m.	(2) Arizona	(6) Xavier	TBS

2015 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Region Predictions

Midwest

As mentioned, West Virginia is going to present a different kind of test for Kentucky. The Mountaineers' full-court press puts a lot of pressure on an opponent's ball-handlers. That's why they lead the nation in steals at nearly 11 per game.

That means Andrew Harrison and Tyler Ulis must be at their best. If a team does break the press, there are usually some open looks available. That's when the onus will fall on Devin Booker to rediscover his shooting stroke after missing all seven shots from beyond the arc in the first two games.

Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal passed along comments from head coach John Calipari, who said he told Booker to keep shooting.

"We told him after the game, 'Hey, you've got to keep shooting,' because there's going to be a game we need him to make shots or we can't win," Calipari said. "You can miss all these. It doesn't matter. The next one's coming up and we may need you to make some shots."

These are two deep teams that don't mind playing a physical brand of basketball. It could result in a chippy, foul-filled contest. The basic outlook remains the same, though. Only an off night could end Kentucky's run at this point.

Wichita State came into the tournament under-seeded. That's why the Shockers' appearance in the Sweet 16 after beating Kansas didn't come as much of a surprise. It was far more of a toss-up game than the seeding would have suggested.

The same holds true against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won their first two games over Northeastern and Butler by a combined seven points. So it's another close matchup with both sides dreaming of getting off this list provided by ESPN Stats and Info:

This game will ultimately come down to the Wichita State defense. Notre Dame has one of the most dangerous offenses in the country when it finds a rhythm. If the Shockers can slow things down and force some turnovers, they'll earn a date with Kentucky.

Picks: Kentucky and Wichita State

West

For Wisconsin, everything starts and ends with Frank Kaminsky. The senior forward has handled the pressure extremely well so far, scoring 43 points over the first two games. When he's playing that well, it opens up the floor for everybody else.

The Badgers should receive a stiff test from a North Carolina group playing with a certain ease and freedom that usually doesn't exist for the storied program. Junior guard Marcus Paige explained why, as noted by Sam Gardner of Fox Sports.

"Our fans expect us to have a No. 1 seed overall every single year," Paige said. "Unfortunately, it didn't happen for us this year, but we understand the moment, and you've got to win six games. Once you're slotted in the tournament and you're in position, it's up for grabs. And we knew that we had the talent, we had the capability. We just have to buy in and do what we're told."

The problem for the Tar Heels here is the lack of a player who can slow down Kaminsky. He can score from anywhere on the floor, and they simply don't have a forward who can match up with him for 40 minutes (few teams do). That will probably be the difference.

Xavier has played better than many projected so far. The Musketeers crushed Ole Miss in the opening round, then ended a possible Cinderella story by knocking out Georgia State. Facing Arizona is a completely different animal, though.

The Wildcats beat an under-seeded Ohio State squad by 15 in the last round. It was a one-point game at halftime, but once they get going, it's difficult to slow them down. Perhaps that's one reason why Dick Vitale of ESPN is picking them to advance to the Elite Eight:

Ultimately, it just doesn't seem like Xavier has quite enough offensive firepower to pull off the upset. Arizona is rock-solid on both ends of the floor and could even head into a high-profile encounter with Wisconsin as the favorite in the next round.

Picks: Wisconsin and Arizona