Elite Eight 2015: Updated Bracket and Sweet 16 Day 2 Predictions

Four teams have already punched their tickets to the Elite Eight, and four more will have the chance to do so on Friday as the Sweet 16 wraps up in the NCAA tournament.

Friday's action will feature a number of NCAA powerhouses along with a couple of teams that have survived the first few rounds. Some of the nation's biggest stars, including Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Louisville's Montrezl Harrell, will be looking to lead their teams to victory in the national spotlight.

With four more spots up for grabs, let's take a look at the updated NCAA tournament bracket along with some predictions for Friday's action.

Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Pick
7:15 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA	CBS	Gonzaga
7:37 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 North Carolina State	TBS	Louisville
9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah	CBS	Duke
10:07 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State	TBS	MSU

Predictions

Tom Izzo's Spartans Survive and Advance

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

When March rolls around, you can never count out Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans.

Since taking over as the Spartans head coach in 1995, Izzo has taken his team to the NCAA tournament 18 times, 17 if you don't include this season. In those 17 trips, the Spartans have gone to the Elite Eight eight times, the Final Four six times and come home with one national title back in 2000.

This season hasn't been the most dominant for the Spartans, but they've gotten hot at the right time, winning seven of their last eight games. Seth Davis from CBS Sports believes that this has actually been Izzo's best season coaching throughout his entire career.

Despite lacking a true star, the Spartans have gotten by just fine. A big reason for that has been their incredible ball movement, ranking fourth in the nation with 17.1 assists per game. Veteran players like Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine are playing unselfishly and finding open teammates.

Finding the open man will be crucial for the Spartans against Oklahoma. The Sooners have held opponents to just 38.6 percent shooting all year, shutting down some of the better teams in the Big 12.

But Izzo's team is full of experienced players who have been here before, and they should be prepared to take down the Sooners to bring the Spartans to yet another Elite Eight.

Montrezl Harrell Will Lead Louisville to Victory

It's been a while since Louisville junior Montrezl Harrell has had a truly dominant game, but the Cardinals will need one from him on Friday.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

In his first two games of the NCAA tournament, Harrell averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game while going just 8-of-19 from the field. In his previous game against the NC State Wolfpack, Harrell struggled even more, scoring just seven points on 1-of-5 shooting along with 13 rebounds.

Harrell talked about his last meeting with the Wolfpack, according to Mike Rutherford from Card Chronicle, saying:

"

They had a really a tough D on me to make sure I couldn't get to the basket. I kind of know how they're going to play me, but tomorrow's a whole different game. Like I said, I'll take the tools that my coaches have instilled in me in the game that we played in before, and I kind of got a feeling how they're going to guard me. So just ready for tomorrow.

"

The Cardinals have been through a lot this season, especially near the end of the year. In their last 10 games prior to the tournament, the Cardinals went just 5-5. Scoring inside won't be easy against the Wolfpack, either, with NC State averaging an impressive 5.2 blocks per game.

At 6'8" and 240 pounds, Harrell has the size to assert himself down low. He'll need to play his best to help Louisville get past the Wolfpack, and he's due for a big game.