NCAA Bracket 2015: Schedule and Updated Predictions Before Friday's Sweet 16

Four down, four to go in the Sweet 16. Thursday's packed night of action left us with finalists in the Midwest and West Regions, while Friday will finalize the Elite Eight by deciding who will move on in the South and East.

In the South, Mike Krzyzewski will try to earn his 13th appearance in a regional final with a win over Utah. The Utes as a program have made only two Elite Eight trips since 1966. Elsewhere, another historical power in UCLA will try to begin a new legacy for coach Steve Alford by taking down favored Gonzaga. Despite a reputation as the class of mid-major programs, Mark Few's team has made it to a regional semifinal just once in its history.

In the East, it's all a battle of major-conference outfits.

Eighth-seeded North Carolina State has largely been irrelevant since its '80s heyday, making only three Sweet 16s since 1989 and failing to make an Elite Eight since mom jeans were just...jeans. Rick Pitino's Louisville program is two years removed from winning a national title and has gone to the regional semis five times in the last decade. Pitino has done Michigan State's Tom Izzo one better in the Elite Eight department, and the Spartans coach will try to land his fifth appearance Friday against Oklahoma. The Sooners last got past the Sweet 16 in 2009.

With history out of the way, let's check in on which of these teams has the best chance to advance in the present.

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South Region

(11) UCLA vs. (2) Gonzaga

The matchup feels like a setup for a Gonzaga victory. UCLA enters the Sweet 16 as the recipient of a ton of good fortune. First, there was getting into the Big Dance despite having perhaps the worst resume of any at-large team. Second, there was SMU gagging away a seven-point lead in the final minute and a half, including one of the most confounding goaltends we've seen all season. Then there was the schedule luck of landing a UAB team that was nowhere near ready for the big time after upsetting Iowa State.

The result has been a run to the second weekend that has been riddled with critics. 

"The committee says they look at good wins, UCLA had one," Chris Chase of USA Today wrote. "They also look at bad losses, UCLA had four. So how did the Bruins get in again? If Washington St. had the same resume, do they get in, or do John Wooden’s titles and the program’s pedigree give UCLA the extra boost."

It's a difficult question to answer, but Gonzaga looks up to the task of ending the Bruins' tournament experience. The Bulldogs recovered from a poor defensive performance against North Dakota State with a thrashing of Iowa in the round of 32, shooting 61.5 percent from the floor and knocking down 10 three-pointers.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

"You can concentrate on the three-point line," Alford said, per Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times. "But they're monsters inside.… It's hard to figure out which you're going to be able to take away. If any."

Gonzaga's effort is led by the ascending Kyle Wiltjer and veteran Kevin Pangos, who each spread the floor and give Few a dynamic few other teams have. Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis are also big, talented bodies who, along with Wiltjer, give the Bulldogs three players listed at 6'10" and above. That's what we like to call Kentucky size—even if there isn't quite Kentucky athleticism to go along with that height.

This should—should—result in Gonzaga's second trip to the Elite Eight.

(5) Utah vs. (1) Duke

First thing: Utah's way better than it's been given credit. There is a fun argument to be made about whether Utah or Wichita State was hosed more by the selection committee. The Utes' reward is a matchup against a Duke team led by a cabal of talented youngsters, highlighted by National Player of the Year candidate Jahlil Okafor.

The potential top overall NBA draft selection has scored 47 points through the first two games, beating up on undersized bigs from San Diego State and Robert Morris. He won't get the same luxury against Utah. Jakob Poeltl isn't a perfect defender, but he's a legitimate 7-footer who can use his length to at least impede Okafor down low.

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Delon Wright will also give Duke's perimeter talent a handful as a slash-and-kick guard who has emerged as a star during his senior season. The L.A. native has struggled from the field over his first two tournament games, but should be in line for a positive regression Friday. Add Brandon Taylor and Jordan Loveridge to the mix, and Utah has the depth to give Duke a run.

That said, talent is definitely on Coach K's side. Okafor is an unstoppable post monster. Quinn Cook occupies the senior leadership role and has finally become consistent after years of enigmatic performances. Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones are future first-round picks in their own right, with Winslow occupying the role of do-everything star and Jones emerging as an excellent perimeter distributor.

Don't get me wrong, Utah has a chance. Just not a good enough one to make me think they'll pull off the upset.

East Region

(8) North Carolina State vs. (4) Louisville

The victor of this matchup is going to have problems in the Elite Eight. Louisville enters the Sweet 16 as by far the worst offensive team remaining in the tournament. The Cardinals rank 75th in offensive efficiency. No other team ranks worse than 46th, and a dozen of the remaining teams are top-30 outfits.

North Carolina State is the second-worst remaining defensive team, behind only Notre Dame. N.C. State, Notre Dame and UCLA are the only remaining teams to rank worse than 50th in defensive metrics. Both Oklahoma and Michigan State have better two-way profiles than either of their potential opponents.

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Offensively, Louisville and N.C. State are defined by their top-three leading scorers. Chris Jones' exit from the program leaves the Cardinals with Terry Rozier, Montrezl Harrell and Wayne Blackshear as their only players who average even four points per game. As a team they shoot 42.9 percent and knock down only 30.8 percent of their threes, the latter number ranking outside of the nation's top 300.

Trevor Lacey, Ralston Turner and Anthony Barber lead a bit more of an efficient attack and get more help. Seven Wolfpack rotation players average at least four points per game, and N.C. State enters Friday a very solid 27th in offensive efficiency.

The difference, though, will be Louisville's swarming defense. Only Kentucky and Arizona rank better on a per-possession basis than the Cardinals, who use the patented Pitino press to force turnovers and get out in the open floor. Their steal and block rates are both solidly among the national elite, and Louisville does an excellent job of pushing opponents off the three-point line.

It should be just enough to send the Cardinals to their expected slaughtering house on Sunday.

(7) Michigan State vs. (3) Oklahoma

History says choose Tom Izzo. Always choose Tom Izzo in March. Never even think for a second about doing anything but choosing Tom Izzo in March. What are you, an idiot? Choose Tom Izzo in March.

Having Oklahoma chosen as the East's Final Four representative before the tournament complicates things. Am I to back out now of the one thing I may get correct about this tournament? Am I willing to go down in the Internet record books as a flip-flopper? Or am I a MAN'S MAN who won't back down from an opinion even when mounting evidence indicates the opposite is true? 

The reality is far more complicated in both situations.

This Michigan State team was a No. 7 seed for plenty of reasons. The Spartans are a month removed from losing to Minnesota and dropped games to Nebraska and Texas Southern during the regular season. Their core is solid but without the first-round pedigree Gary Harris and Adreian Payne brought to the table. Izzo's gotten by with a sum-of-the-parts approach, but stars are made and broken in the tournament.

Buddy Hield is the exact type of go-to star Michigan State is lacking. With Hield spearheading the offense and Ryan Spangler outworking everybody on the defensive end, Oklahoma can be a special two-way team when firing on all cylinders. 

Look for Lon Kruger to find the right combination and lead the Sooners to the Elite Eight.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

All advanced stats via KenPom.com.