Sweet 16 2015: Complete Bracket, Schedule and Odds of Advancing

There's a specific way to look at the NCAA tournament bracket as it stands right now where it can feature one of the greatest Final Fours in history. With the Sweet 16 beginning on Thursday, there's also a possibility things can turn into a mess quickly. 

In other words, it's everything one could want from March Madness. Yet if you look at the possibilities involving Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke and Wisconsin in the Final Four, how does that get topped in terms of national teams and national attention?

That's not to say a Final Four involving a team like Wichita State or Arizona or Louisville or Gonzaga or any of the others still standing wouldn't have its own compelling storylines. The magic of sports is narratives are created every possession. 

With a few hours to go before the Sweet 16 tips off, here's all the information you need to know about the games. 

Date	Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network
Thursday, March 26	No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 3 Notre Dame	7:15 p.m.	CBS
Thursday, March 26	No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 1 Wisconsin	7:47 p.m.	TBS
Thursday, March 26	No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 1 Kentucky	Approx. 9:45 p.m.	CBS
Thursday, March 26	No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 2 Arizona	Approx. 10:17 p.m.	TBS
Friday, March 27	No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 2 Gonzaga	7:15 p.m.	CBS
Friday, March 27	No. 8 N.C. State vs. No. 4 Louisville	7:37 p.m.	TBS
Friday, March 27	No. 5 Utah vs. No. 1 Duke	Approx. 9:45 p.m.	CBS
Friday, March 27	No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Oklahoma	Approx. 10:07 p.m.	TBS

Team	Odds
Kentucky	1-1
Arizona	13-2
Duke	8-1
Wisconsin	8-1
Gonzaga	12-1
Michigan State	14-1
Utah	20-1
Louisville	25-1
Oklahoma	25-1
North Carolina	33-1
Notre Dame	33-1
Wichita State	33-1
N.C. State	50-1
UCLA	100-1
West Virginia	100-1
UCLA	100-1

Safest Bet: Kentucky

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Regardless of how many people try to pump up West Virginia in the Sweet 16, there's no doubt that Kentucky remains the safest bet of any team still alive to win the national championship. 

That's not to dismiss the Mountaineers as an opponent, as Tom Withers of The Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports) did make an important note about their defense in the tournament:

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Kentucky hasn't shown any flaws in easy wins over Hampton and Cincinnati, but neither of those squads play defense quite like the Mountaineers, who can turn games into a 94-foot street fight. West Virginia, which leads the nation in steals, forced 40 turnovers in its NCAA Tournament wins over Buffalo and Maryland.

"

When you don't have a good offense, being able to play defense and force turnovers becomes essential. Huggins has found a formula that works for his team and makes them a dangerous threat against a Kentucky team that's struggled against the press. 

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they are experienced against a variation of the full-court press, having played Arkansas twice. Even though West Virginia is more physical than the Razorbacks, it does provide a template for John Calipari's team to work with. 

Assuming Kentucky gets through that game—as it should because eventually West Virginia will have to shoot well enough to keep up—Notre Dame or Wichita State looms. Neither team has enough size or athleticism to stick with the Wildcats, even though the narrative of the Shockers ending Kentucky's undefeated season one year after the roles were reversed would be nice. 

The Final Four, possibly against Wisconsin or Arizona, will essentially serve as a national championship game because there's little doubt Kentucky, Wisconsin and Arizona are the three best teams in the country. 

Kentucky has been fighting for history all year and is just four wins away from making it happen. That makes this team the safest best to win a title among the remaining contenders, even if the odds aren't going to provide a return. 

Best Odds: Michigan State (14-1)

If you're looking for a team that can win a championship that will provide a good return, does anyone look more appealing than Michigan State right now?

First, the Spartans are as money in March as any team in college basketball. Before defeating Virginia last week, Jerry Ratcliffe of The Daily Progress offered this stat about Tom Izzo in the round of 32:

What makes Izzo so great as a coach is how he's able to transform a team based on its strengths instead of isolating individual talents. For instance, even though Michigan State ranks 32nd in shooting percentage, per ESPN, it's winning with defense. 

With the exception of the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin—which should be noted went to overtime before the Badgers scored 80 points—no one has scored more than 70 against the Spartans since March 7, with Maryland, Georgia and Virginia being held under 65. 

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Plus, look at the bracket in the East Region. Oklahoma, which plays Michigan State on Friday, is the highest seed (No. 3) remaining. Louisville and North Carolina State certainly have their abilities, with the Cardinals being as hard-nosed as any team and the Wolfpack having quick, athletic guards that slowed down Villanova. 

There's an argument for any of the teams in that bracket, as all four have ability but at least one severe limitation. When talking about a limitation, the question then shifts to which coach is able to hide it long enough for his team to succeed. 

Rick Pitino is certainly among the best coaches in the sport, but does anyone go above Izzo right now? 

Dark Horse: North Carolina State (50-1)

Acknowledging how good Michigan State looks right now, if there is a dark horse coming out of this weekend, North Carolina State looks awfully good. 

Some teams just play erratically during the regular season before finding their focus on the biggest games of the year. Again, see Michigan State. N.C. State also belongs in that category, as there were hints this team was capable of great things with wins over Duke and North Carolina. 

It's also worth noting the Wolfpack also lost games against Notre Dame and Virginia by a combined total of seven points. There's always been a monster lurking in the shadows waiting to get out, finally emerging once the NCAA tournament started. 

No one denies the Wolfpack got a lot of help in the round of 64 thanks to LSU's inability to hit a free throw, but there was no debate against Villanova when the Wildcats were held to 31.1 percent shooting from the floor. 

Head coach Mark Gottfried is also no stranger to playing the underdog role, as his tournament success has come from a spot similar to where N.C. State is at right now, per Chris Fallica of ESPN:

Now, combine an experienced, tournament-tested head coach with these comments from freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu to ESPN's Dana O'Neil after the win over Villanova:

"We always felt like our talent was underrated," Abu said. "We were picked preseason 10th in the ACC. That's a pride thing. We thought we could go out there and beat all these teams that everybody loves so much."

Even though motivation shouldn't have to play a role in sports, as the thrill of competition and simple desire to defeat an opponent should be enough, there are some players and/or teams able to thrive when their backs are against the wall. 

North Carolina State may not be a Final Four team on paper, but the early-tournament results suggest this is a team capable of playing beyond this weekend.