Elite 8 Bracket: Updated Schedule and Viewing Info Following Sweet 16 Day 1

Upsets abounded during the opening round of the NCAA tournament, but Thursday was as chalky of an opening to the Sweet 16 as it could've been. Whether tested or dominant, each of the higher seeds in the West and Midwest Regions got through, earning the right to lock horns with each other in Saturday's Elite Eight.

But chalky didn't necessarily mean boring. Each matchup had its own compelling storyline, and it was intriguing to watch each play out. The big boys flexed their muscles in ways that created incredible excitement about these heavyweight battles:

2015 NCAA Tournament Schedule: Sweet 16, Day 2
Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
March 28	6:09 p.m.	No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Arizona	TBS
March 28	8:49 p.m.	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Notre Dame	TBS

All Eyes on the Midwest Region

It took a while to wear them down, but No. 3 Notre Dame used a second-half surge to put away No. 7 Wichita State, 81-70. Demetrius Jackson scored 20 points for the game, and the Irish shot 75 percent during the second half to advance to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1979, says Gerry Ahern of USA Today.

After two tough opening-weekend games, Notre Dame rediscovered the sharp shooting that led it to its first ACC championship a few weeks ago, connecting on nine of 19 three pointers and giving itself plenty of breathing room late.

Kentucky, meanwhile, steamrolled its way to victory from the beginning. The Wildcats' overwhelming size and depth created all kinds of problems for West Virginia, and they raced out to a 19-2 lead.

Kentucky, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, stayed on course for a perfect season and a ninth national title, pushing its record to 37-0. Trey Lyles had 14 points, and Andrew Harrison added 13.

Kentucky has been pulverizing its competition all season long, and it has looked particularly dialed in during the NCAA tournament. But Notre Dame looks poised to give it its stiffest test so far. ESPN's Jeff Borzello stops short of predicting a Notre Dame victory but thinks the Irish present a unique set of challenges to Kentucky:

West is Best

For much of the game, Wisconsin looked like it might be the second No. 1 seed to be put out of the tournament. But Sam Dekker had a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, Frank Kaminsky chipped in 19 points, and the Badgers showed that they're not just front-runners as they came from behind to defeat North Carolina. 

Wisconsin hasn't trailed very often this season, but it's had to scrap to come back from deficits before. The Badgers fell well behind Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game before coming back to win in overtime.

If they adopt a similar strategy against Arizona Saturday, they may not be so fortunate, warns ESPN's Skip Bayless:

Arizona only got past Xavier in the final minutes of its Sweet 16 contest, but they still rank in the top 10 in the country in field-goal percentage. Plus T.J. McConnell and Stanley Johnson do a great job of protecting the ball. That means that if Wisconsin falls behind early, it's very unlikely that it will be able to survive another scare and the Wildcats will reach their first Final Four under coach Sean Miller.