March Madness 2015: Full Weekend Tournament Schedule and Predictions

Is your bracket busted yet?

Fortunately, that's not the case for most of us at this juncture, as the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are one of three No. 1 seeds remaining in the Sweet 16. Although, competition is about to escalate, as trips to the Elite Eight and Final Four will be on the line during the NCAA tournament's late-week and weekend action.

The road to the Final Four is beginning to become clearer for each surviving squad. With just two contests separating the remaining 16 teams from a shot at playing into the championship game, it's easier to assess matchups and predict winners. That said, it's time to speculate.

However, before we get into some March Madness predictions, let's first take a glance at the tournament's updated bracket and upcoming schedule.

Updated Bracket

Upcoming Schedule

Thursday, March 26	Time (ET)	TV
Friday, March 27	Time (ET)	TV
Saturday, March 28	Time (ET)	TV
Sunday, March 29	Time (ET)	TV
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State	7:15 p.m.	CBS
No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 4 North Carolina	7:47 p.m.	TBS
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 5 West Virginia	9:45 p.m.	CBS
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Xavier	10:17 p.m.	TBS
No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA	7:15 p.m.	CBS
No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 NC State	7:37 p.m.	TBS
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah	9:45 p.m.	CBS
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State	10:07 p.m.	TBS
UK/WVU vs. ND/WSU	TBD	TBS
Wisc/UNC vs. Xav/AZ	TBD	TBS
NCS/UL vs. OU/MSU	TBD	CBS
Duke/Utah vs. UCLA/GU	TBD	CBS

Predictions

Team 1	Team 2	Sweet 16 Winner
Team 1	Team 2	Elite 8 Winner
Notre Dame	Wichita State	Notre Dame
Wisconsin	North Carolina	Wisconsin
Kentucky	West Virginia	Kentucky
Arizona	Xavier	Arizona
Gonzaga	UCLA	Gonzaga
Louisville	NC State	NC State
Duke	Utah	Duke
Oklahoma	Michigan State	Michigan State
Kentucky	Notre Dame	Kentucky
Wisconsin	Arizona	Arizona
NC State	Michigan State	Michigan State
Duke	Gonzaga	Gonzaga

Final Four Analysis

Kentucky

The Wildcats continue to play extremely well-rounded basketball. They've been able to outscore high-octane offenses and outlast stout defenses all season long, and that trend has continued in the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky's big men have been phenomenal on the interior, and they'll be the catalyst that propels the Wildcats past a smaller West Virginia team in the Sweet 16. Karl-Anthony Towns and Co. will still be factors in the Elite Eight against Notre Dame, especially on the defensive end of the court, but Kentucky's athleticism on the perimeter will help the team overtake the athletic Fighting Irish and earn a berth in the Final Four.

Arizona

Arizona may be the next most dangerous team in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats' ability to dominate on the inside, win in the boards and utilize a great deal of athleticism to score in transition makes them extremely difficult to match up against.

Xavier will fall victim to Arizona in the Sweet 16 due to its porous defense. The Musketeers allowed Georgia State to shoot 56.5 percent from the floor in the round of 32, and that doesn't bode well for a date with the fast-paced Wildcats. An Elite Eight showdown with Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky will be thrilling, but the Badgers defense hasn't been as strong of late, and Stanley Johnson and Co. will take advantage.

Michigan State

The surprise team of the bunch, Michigan State continues to play inspired postseason basketball. Tom Izzo's group has been playing some outstanding defense of late, and Travis Trice is simply on fire on the offensive end of the court.

Oklahoma will prove to be a difficult test in the Sweet 16; however, the Sooners haven't been the strongest shooting team this season, hitting 43.6 percent of their attempts from the floor. They'll find it difficult to even match that number against a Spartans team that doesn't give many good looks. NC State's run of close wins will come to an end soon after due to a defense that struggles to create turnovers.

Gonzaga

Gonzaga is on a brilliant run right now, as this high-powered offense really found its groove and is leaving teams in the dust as a result. During the team's current five-game winning streak, it hasn't scored fewer than 79 points in each contest.

UCLA had a nice run in the Big Dance, but the Bruins have been wildly inconsistent on both sides of the ball, and that will cost them dearly against the Bulldogs. An Elite Eight clash with Duke will surely lead to offensive fireworks, but Gonzaga has been a slightly better rebounding team this season, and that will lead to more second-chance opportunities for the Bulldogs shooters.