Elite 8 2015: Predicting Post-Sweet 16 Teams and Matchups

Every time the Sweet 16 rolls around, I remember a time in pop culture where "sweet" was actually synonymous with "cool" rather than a sarcasm device. I don't know, I think it was like 1999 or something—my brain still says "sweet" with the inflection of Scott Hall of the NWO. (Give me a break, I was 9.) This all leads me down an inevitable road where I remember what it was like to be nine years old and watching Austin Powers for the first time and...

Wait. Where was I? Right. Men's collegiate basketball.

That is a thing that is happening over the next four days, not a decade-and-a-half in the distance. Sixteen teams, all of which I assume are very sweet, will do battle in an attempt to earn a trip to Indianapolis for the Final Four. But before the Final Four comes the Elite Eight, an event with a related word about which I cannot go on an extended, unrelated tangent.

So, instead, let's actually talk about what I expect from the Elite Eight from a basketball perspective. Or, more specifically, the matchups we'll be seeing once the weekend dust settles.

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Midwest Region

(7) Wichita State vs. (1) Kentucky

This is represents a flip-flopping from my pre-tournament picks. Originally, Notre Dame was the final matchup on Kentucky's road to Indianapolis. After the way Wichita State dismantled Kansas last weekend—in a way that exceeded anything I expected despite picking the Shockers—it's time for a mea culpa.

This Wichita State team may not be an undefeated No. 1 seed like its predecessor, but it's peaking at the right time. Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet can go toe-to-toe with any guard combination in the country. Darius Carter and Tekele Cotton combine with enough scoring prowess to almost make you forget Cleanthony Early was leading this core a year ago.

Gregg Marshall's done a fantastic job of building a two-way juggernaut. Wichita State is one of only four remaining teams (Kentucky, Arizona and Utah being the others) to rank inside the top 20 in offensive and defensive efficiency.

Notre Dame can give opponents everything they can handle offensively when firing on all cylinders, but the Irish are leaky on the defensive perimeter and have struggled all tournament long to find their three-point stroke.

As for Kentucky, good luck convincing me not to pick them in any situation. The Wildcats are a juggernaut on the precipice of history. Bob Huggins' 8-2 record against John Calipari is the only thing that makes me even think twice about calling their Sweet 16 matchup with West Virginia a walkover. But for real. It's basically a walkover, kids.

West Region

(2) Arizona vs. (1) Wisconsin

No flip-flopping here. This is the pre-tournament matchup everyone expected, and it should play out given the way things are set up in the Sweet 16. 

Arizona is a double-digit favorite against an Xavier team that's gotten a pretty easy road to the Sweet 16. To put it another way: How many of the other 15 remaining teams would trade their first two contests for those played by Xavier? No fewer than 12, right?

As for Arizona, it remains the best-suited team overall to topple Kentucky in a Final Four setting. The Wildcats have developed into the nation's second-best team thanks to an uptick in offensive performance led by the slick passing of T.J. McConnell and continued emergence of Stanley Johnson. They're the only team other than Kentucky among the nation's 10 best offenses and defenses.

"I thought it was tough chemistry-wise (early in the year). (But) we've done a complete (turnaround)," McConnell said, per Fox Sports Arizona's Steve Rivera. "Our chemistry is just as good, if not better than it was last year."

Wisconsin has the tougher matchup against North Carolina, but should be able to control the Tar Heels' open-court tendencies. No team in the nation is more patient and committed to their philosophy.

The Badgers don't take bad shots. Hell, sometimes it feels like they don't take shots period. But when the ball goes in the air, rest assured it's going through the hoop. Wisconsin enters the Sweet 16 scoring nearly three points more than any other team per 100 possessions. 

Frank Kaminsky is a near-perfect college basketball star, Sam Dekker found his three-point stroke in the first two rounds and having Traevon Jackson will do wonders for Wisconsin's defense. 

It's chalky in the West, but it's also a no-brainer.

East Region

(4) Louisville vs. (3) Oklahoma

The winner of Friday's Louisville vs. North Carolina State game will be the weakest Elite Eight team. Louisville can't score. Despite a fine tempo and some good ideas, it's an utter mess for Rick Pitino's team when they're not creating turnovers. The departure of Chris Jones has only made things more glaring, essentially turning the Cardinals into a three-man show.

N.C. State is peaking at the perfect time, but is still less than a month removed from being beat down by Boston College. The Wolfpack have the second-leakiest defense behind Notre Dame among remaining tournament teams, enough so to where Louisville might trip, fall and land into some buckets. Their scoring is also equally top-heavy, confined to Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner and Anthony Barber.

Picking a winner here comes largely down to coaching. I trust Rick Pitino's March resume more than Mark Gottfried's. There's not much more to it than that; these are two relatively evenly matched teams.

On the other side, I'm sticking with my pre-tournament guns rather than chasing the March Izzo dragon. Oklahoma was one of my dark horses coming in once I saw their regional profile, and the Sooners haven't disappointed. Their wins over Dayton and Albany were a little closer than you'd prefer, but that's just a reality of this team's profile.

Michigan State is the superior offensive team and has been ascending for more than a month now. Just not quite enough to make me go backsies as I did with Wichita State.

South Region

(2) Gonzaga vs. (1) Duke

For the sake of sanity, let's be brief here.

Gonzaga will win. Because duh. The Bulldogs are better on both ends of the floor and may be Mark Few's best outfit since the Adam Morrison days. UCLA Jedi mind-tricked SMU into imploding in a round of 64 matchup it should have lost and then landed a fortuitous matchup with 14th-seeded UAB in the following game. The run's over for Alford and Son.

We'll also be going with Duke because it is the better basketball team—albeit with far more caveats. Utah is anything but a joke. The Utes were under-seeded as a No. 5 and have one of the most underrated defenses in the country. Jakob Poeltl has the size to bother Jahlil Okafor down low, Delon Wright is awesome and the Brandon Taylor-Jordan Loveridge combo gives Utah a fun duo of shooters outside.

But nah. All chalk all the time, baby. Isn't that sweet?

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter

All offensive/defensive stats via KenPom. All odds via Odds Shark.