NCAA Scores 2015: Tournament Results Tracker for Thursday's Sweet 16 Bracket

The first four of college basketball's Elite Eight were decided Thursday with a series of four games in the Midwest and West Regions. 

Wichita State attempted to continue its Cinderella run after toppling second-seeded Kansas in the Midwest. Notre Dame, which looked less than stellar in its two tournament games prior to the Sweet 16, was given the task of stopping the Shockers' run. The victor of that matchup is scheduled to face either Kentucky or West Virginia, which most chalked up as an easy bypass for the undefeated Wildcats.

In the West Region, North Carolina had an opportunity to take down top-seeded Wisconsin, and Xavier tried to knock out former Musketeers head coach Sean Miller and his Arizona Wildcats. The following is a recap of how the first night of Sweet 16 action went down, accompanied by an updated bracket for the 2015 NCAA tournament.

Bracket

Results

Bracket	Matchup	Result
Midwest	(7) Wichita State vs. (3) Notre Dame	Notre Dame, 81-70
Midwest	(5) West Virginia vs. (1) Kentucky	Kentucky, 78-39
West	(4) North Carolina vs. (1) Wisconsin	Wisconsin, 79-72
West	(6) Xavier vs. (2) Arizona	Arizona, 68-60

Recap

Notre Dame 81, Wichita State 70

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Four players scored in double figures, led by Demetrius Jackson with a team-high 20, as Notre Dame blew up Wichita State's high-pressure defense en route to an 81-70 victory.

After a relatively quiet first half, the Irish offense blew its lid during a 48-point second half. They knocked down 55.6 percent of their shots overall and nine three-pointers, finally getting going from distance following two disappointing results last week. 

Jackson knocked down a team-high four from deep, adding four rebounds and three assists while nearly matching his point total from the first weekend. Pat Connaughton helped out with a 16-point, 10-rebound effort, Zach Auguste knocked down all six of his field-goal attempts en route to a 15-point evening, and Steve Vasturia's 15 points gave him back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts.

The only Irish starter who did not score in double figures was Jerian Grant, who took a backseat shooting-wise while catalyzing the offensive effort with his passing. Grant came within one of tying his season high of 12 assists and added nine points on 3-of-8 shooting. The Irish star was consistently able to work his way through the fierce Wichita State defense, burrowing into the paint before kicking the ball out to his shooters.

The Shockers had a fine scoring effort led by 25 points by Fred VanVleet and 22 from Darius Carter but were left wanting elsewhere. Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton went a combined 4-of-20 from the field to score their 15 points, and the Wichita State bench had only eight points in a disappointing effort.

Gregg Marshall's team was also undone after it went ice cold from beyond the arc. Wichita State, which knocked down 10 shots from distance during its upset of Kansas, went a paltry 3-of-18 from three-point range Thursday. VanVleet, Cotton and Zach Brown missed all 10 of their shots from outside, and it looked for long stretches like the Shockers couldn't buy a bucket.

Notre Dame will be making its first Elite Eight appearance since 1979. 

Wisconsin 79, North Carolina 72

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North Carolina laid its best effort on the floor, but when it got time to get the job done, Wisconsin's veterans pushed the Badgers to a win. Sam Dekker scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds, and Frank Kaminsky added 19 points as Wisconsin earned a 79-72 win over North Carolina.

Rarely separated by more than a few points throughout, the Badgers' stars ascended down the stretch. They knocked down eight free-throw attempts in the final minute, extending a one-point lead to seven while displaying the level of cool only shown by veteran squads. Wisconsin knocked down 20 of its 23 free-throw attempts overall, compared to just a 66.7 percent rate for North Carolina.

The charity stripe helped atone for a night where the Badgers went ice cold from beyond the arc, knocking down just seven of 21 attempts. Dekker and Nigel Hayes went a combined 1-of-9 from three-point range, with nearly all of the latter's production coming from the line.

With the offense completely faltering in the first half, Dekker's production was integral. Fifteen of his 23 points came in the first half, as he scored nearly half of Wisconsin's 31 points. Weaving his way through the defense to get layups and draw fouls, Dekker was able keep his teammates afloat as they got it together.

The cavalry came just in time in the second half, scoring 48 points as North Carolina's stout defensive effort fell apart. The Badgers and Tar Heels each shot exactly 26-of-56 from the field.

North Carolina's effort was multi-pronged, led by 15 points apiece from Justin Jackson and Brice Johnson. Marcus Paige struggled with his shot all night en route to a 4-of-11 performance but managed to chip in 12 points thanks to three three-pointers.

Joel Berry II also came off the bench and scored nine points, including two threes. The Tar Heels shot an uncharacteristically solid 8-of-13 from deep overall.

Wisconsin, which is making its second straight Elite Eight appearance for the first time in school history, will attempt to do the same for a Final Four berth on Saturday.

Kentucky 78, West Virginia 39

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That score isn't a misprint. For the first time in Sweet 16 history, a team doubled up on its opponent, per ESPN Stats & Info. The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats dropped a 78-39 hammering on the West Virginia Mountaineers.

To understand how great Kentucky was on the night, you only have to look to the numbers.

West Virginia shot 13-of-54 from the field and 2-of-15 from three-point range. The Wildcats had as many assists as the Mountaineers had made field goals. They also had more rebounds (44) than the Mountaineers had points. And Kentucky won by 39 points despite Karl-Anthony Towns, a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, scoring only one point.

At halftime, the Wildcats owned a 44-18 edge, and it didn't get much better for West Virginia. The Mountaineers went the first 8:17 of the second half notching one point via a Devin Williams free throw. John Calipari's team might have gone a bit easier on WVU offensively over the last 20 minutes, but the defense remained just as stingy.

That's not to say that Kentucky didn't enjoy itself in the second half, especially on this ridiculous layup by Andrew Harrison.

While it's not as if fans weren't respecting the Wildcats heading into the tournament, Thursday's game illustrated just how great they are. At this point, it's hard seeing who could possibly stop them en route to their perfect season. Kentucky is so balanced on both sides of the ball and is deeper than any team in recent memory.

It will take a Herculean effort and a lot of luck for anybody to knock off Kentucky.

Notre Dame will give it a try in the Elite Eight.

Arizona 68, Xavier 60

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Arizona and Xavier had arguably the ugliest game among Thursday's quartet, with the Wildcats grinding out a 68-60 victory.

Arizona struggled all night to unlock Xavier's 1-3-1 zone, while the Musketeers were unable to deal with the Wildcats' smothering perimeter defense. By the time it was all said and done, Xavier shot 43.1 percent from the field, missing 14 of its 17 three-point attempts, while Arizona was a slightly worse 40.7 percent and missed 15 of its 22 attempts from long range.

What really doomed the Musketeers was a seven-and-a-half-minute stretch in the second half in which it failed to connect with a field goal. During that sequence, Arizona turned around a 51-47 deficit into a 64-57 lead.

A late three from Myles Davis kept Xavier in the game, but it was far too little too late as Arizona connected with its last four free throws of the game to win.

T.J. McConnell failed to really find his stroke but still finished with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Stanley Johnson and Kaleb Tarczewski each had 12 points, with Tarczewski's 12 rebounds giving him a double-double.

Xavier's exit will mean the end of Matt Stainbrook, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Musketeers big man captivated the country with his unique frame and skills down low, not to mention him being an Uber driver on the side.

All good things must come to an end, and college basketball fans everywhere will lament the conclusion of Stainbrook's collegiate career.

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