March Madness 2015 Bracket: Latest Picks, Odds Advice Before Friday's Sweet 16

Friday’s Sweet 16 games have a little bit of everything.

Fans on the West Coast get the showdown between UCLA and Gonzaga, as well as a Utah team to pull for against mighty Duke. ACC supporters have three squads taking the floor in the Blue Devils, Louisville and North Carolina State. Even the heartland has the battle between Michigan State and Oklahoma as the nightcap.

There are also underdog stories with No. 11 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed North Carolina State and blue-blood programs in Duke and Michigan State.

At the end of the day, the NCAA tournament will be down to eight teams. Here is a look at the predicted winners, as well as the latest lines, courtesy of Odds Shark (as of Thursday at 7 p.m. ET), and an updated bracket.

Matchup	Time	Point Spread	Predicted Winner
Gonzaga vs. UCLA	7:15 p.m. ET	Gonzaga -8.5	Gonzaga
North Carolina State vs. Louisville	7:37 p.m. ET	Louisville -3	North Carolina State
Utah vs. Duke	9:45 p.m. ET	Duke -5	Utah
Michigan State vs. Oklahoma	10:07 p.m. ET	Michigan State -1.5	Michigan State

Safest Bet: Gonzaga Over UCLA

UCLA may have validated itself as a worthy NCAA tournament team by winning its first two games (even though that doesn’t make the regular-season resume any more worthy), but its run is going to come to a screeching halt Friday against Gonzaga.

We have already seen this movie before.

The Bulldogs went into UCLA back on Dec. 13 and knocked off the Bruins 87-74 in a game that was never really in doubt. If they were able to do that in front of a hostile crowd, there is no reason to think the same (or worse) won’t happen in a neutral environment during the NCAA tournament.

Gonzaga is fresh off arguably its best performance of the season when it drubbed Iowa by 21 points after the Hawkeyes looked so impressive in the round of 64, and it will carry that momentum right over to the Sweet 16. The Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pangos combination will be too much for UCLA’s defense, which checked in at No. 67 in Ken Pomeroy’s defensive rankings (as of Thursday evening), to handle yet again. 

ESPN College Basketball pointed out just how lethal Gonzaga’s offense has been this season:

"

Gonzaga's 52.6 FG% this season is on pace to be highest shooting percentage by Division I team since UF in '06-07. pic.twitter.com/zChM735PHB

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 25, 2015"

That is going to be a problem for a UCLA defense that has been vulnerable throughout the year.

The Bulldogs are rolling heading into this matchup, and the Bruins have struggled against quality teams all season. Just because they beat SMU with a controversial goaltending call and were rewarded with a No. 14 seed in the round of 32 doesn’t mean they are getting past the dominant Zags. 

This is a fairly straightforward prediction.

Don’t Sleep on Utah

On first glance, it is easy to overlook Utah before it takes on Duke in the Sweet 16.

After all, it is the Blue Devils with the potential No. 1 pick in the next draft lining up at center and the legendary coach prowling the sidelines. It is the Blue Devils who are seen as the possible ones to prevent Kentucky from finishing 40-0 if they meet in the national championship game.

Even Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak seemed to be in awe of his opponent when discussing Mike Krzyzewski, via Kyle Goon of The Salt Lake Tribune: "He's the man. 1,000 wins. I've got 100."

Despite the difference in the perception between the two teams, you would be wise not to sleep on the Utes.

They have an electric playmaker in Delon Wright who can stretch the Duke defense with his shooting ability or slice to the lane against perimeter defenders who have struggled at times this season. They also boast a suffocating defense that will make life difficult for the Blue Devils’ ball-handlers and even Jahlil Okafor with timely double-teams.

Utah finished No. 7 in Pomeroy’s defense rankings and will rely on its ability to slow down the dangerous Duke offense on that side of the floor.

John Locher/Associated Press

The recipe for an upset is in place for the Utes. They have to get Wright going early with a couple of open looks and ride his playmaking ability throughout the game. Then they have to bring their typical lockdown defense to the table and swarm Duke players all over the floor. 

This is what Utah has done all season. Now it just has a bigger stage.

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