Sweet 16 2015: Odds and Picks for Friday's Bracket Matchups

The 2015 NCAA tournament has resumed in exhilarating fashion with Thursday's start of the Sweet 16 round, which means only four spots are left in the coveted Elite Eight heading into Friday's matchups.

While some of the biggest matchups in the regional semifinal round have already taken place, you wouldn't be able to tell that by gazing at Friday's four-game slate. Whether it's the tournament's Cinderella—yes, No. 11 seed UCLA is a Cinderella—going up against 34-2 Gonzaga, an all-ACC showdown between N.C. State and Louisville or top-seeded Duke facing Utah, Friday doesn't lack in intrigue one bit.

Time is fleeting before Friday night comes, and the spreads for each game have started to solidify following a week of betting. With that in mind, here's a look at all of the odds and predictions for Friday's games.

Bracket

Time (ET)	Matchup (Spread)	Odds	TV	Prediction
7:15 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga (-10) vs. No. 11 UCLA	GU 10-41, UCLA 17-5	CBS	Gonzaga, 80-77
7:37 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville (-1.5) vs. No. 8 N.C. State	UL 20-31, NCST 27-20	TBS	Louisville, 59-55
9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Duke (-4.5) vs. No. 5 Utah	DU 4-9, UT 39-20	CBS	Duke, 71-60
10:07 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State (-2)	MST 10-13, OU 11-10	TBS	Michigan State, 66-63

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated March 26

Friday's Game to Watch: No. 1 Duke (-4.5) vs. No. 5 Utah

Two of the three No. 1 seeds left entering the Sweet 16 already faced off Thursday, but the best matchup was saved for last.

The top-seeded Duke Blue Devils have breezed through the opening weekend of the Big Dance, but dancing on to the Elite Eight will be a completely different task against the fifth-seeded Utah Utes.

Many questioned the Utes' ability to even get out of their first matchup against upset-minded No. 12 Stephen F. Austin, but they left no such questions with an impressive win over the Lumberjacks before topping No. 4 Georgetown in the round of 32. With a squad that sniffed the top 10 during stretches of the season, CBS Sports' Jon Solomon sees a tough test ahead for the Dukies:

It's not hard to see what Utah brings to the table and how the Utes could give the Blue Devils some trouble. Led by do-it-all star guard Delon Wright, who averages 14.9 points per game, and point guard Brandon Taylor's 10.7 points, the Utes have guard play capable of either taking over offensively or clamping down on defense.

Wright has been a game-changer for the Utes all season, but he might meet his match in Friday night's affair. Duke boasts one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation in freshman Justise Winslow, which has plenty of college basketball fans swooning over this game, as per Rush The Court:

On-ball defense in the backcourt has been an issue for Duke this season even despite strong offensive play from Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook, but it's no secret that the Blue Devils' strengths—and the most intriguing matchup of Friday—lie in the post.

Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor has solidified his status as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, dominating foes regularly down low to give the Blue Devils a seismic advantage in every game. Whether it's been Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky earlier this season or a plethora of huge big men in the ACC, Okafor has stepped up to every task.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

He faces another test Friday in Utah's Jakob Poeltl, a fellow freshman who is making ground as a 2015 first-round pick should he go pro. But matchups like this seem to bring out the best in Okafor.

“Jahlil is the ultimate competitor,” Duke sophomore Matt Jones told Powell Latimer of News & Record. “He just wants to show everyone that he’s the best big man and player in the country. When he plays guys like that, his attitude is he wants to kill that matchup.”

If Okafor's play early in the tournament was any indication as per ESPN Stats and Info, he'll be ready:

The Utes are more than capable of giving Duke's undersized guards fits on the perimeter with their ability to ball-screen and drive the lane, but the Blue Devils have been focusing on that all week in practice, per Raleigh News & Observer's Laura Keeley. That doesn't mean Duke will have success in that regard, but it indicates that it will at least be prepared mentally.

What's more, Utah's leader is struggling to start NCAA play despite the Utes' two victories. Wright shot just 4-for-14 combined in those two games, and he doesn't figure to improve much on that with Winslow checking him.

Unless Duke has another nightmare defensive performance in the backcourt, its strengths should be able to limit what Utah does best and push the Blue Devils on toward the Elite Eight.

Prediction: Duke 71, Utah 60