Sweet 16 Bracket: Complete Schedule and Updated Predictions for Day 2

Following Day 1 of the 2015 NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 action, four teams have already secured their spots in the coveted Elite Eight.

No. 1 Kentucky moved along, as expected, after completely trouncing West Virginia by a score of 78-39. No. 3 Notre Dame will have the daunting task of facing the Wildcats in the tournament's next round, as the Fighting Irish clinched a berth in the Elite Eight after downing Wichita State 81-70.

The surging North Carolina Tar Heels couldn't quite overcome No. 1 Wisconsin, as Frank Kaminsky's squad advanced following a 79-72 victory. The Badgers will face Arizona in the Elite Eight after the Wildcats defeated Xavier 68-60 during Thursday's Sweet 16 clash.

Friday will result in another four teams joining those aforementioned victors, as squads from the East and South quadrants take the hardwood. To ensure you don't miss a moment of the forthcoming compelling college hoops, here's a look at the remaining Sweet 16 schedule and predictions for each contest.

Remaining Sweet 16 Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV
March 27	7:15 p.m.	No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA	CBS
March 27	7:37 p.m.	No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 NC State	TBS
March 27	9:45 p.m.	No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah	CBS
March 27	10:07 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State	TBS

Live Stream: NCAA March Madness Live

Predictions

No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 UCLA

There aren't many teams that can match the kind of offense Gonzaga is producing right now. During the Bulldogs' current five-game winning streak, they haven't scored fewer than 79 points in any contest and have yet to score fewer than 86 in any NCAA tournament game.

Boasting the best shooting percentage in the nation at 52.4, Gonzaga has a well-rounded lineup featuring good interior size and stellar perimeter shooting. Against Iowa, 6'10" forward Kyle Wiltjer scored a game-high 24 points and added seven rebounds, while guard Kevin Pangos was hot from downtown, bucketing four of seven attempts from behind the arc and tallying 16 points.

The Bulldogs have great ball movement—they tallied 20 assists against the Hawkeyes—strong rebounding and limited turnovers.

UCLA can reach that same level of offense, and the Bruins' 92-75 victory over UAB was a great example. All five starters scored double-digit points, as forward Tony Parker led the way with 28 and added 12 rebounds. The end result was a team shooting percentage of 60.3, 15 offensive boards and 17 assists.

If the Bruins can keep up that same kind of pace against Gonzaga, they'll have a fighting chance; however, the upper hand here must go to the Bulldogs, as they have been the more consistent team throughout the tournament.

Prediction: Gonzaga 81, UCLA 73

No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 8 NC State

This one may come down to which Louisville team shows up. The Cardinals have a tremendous defense and can be an extremely formidable opponent when the offense is clicking; however, that hasn't consistently been the case.

In the team's 57-55 victory over UC Irvine, forward Montrezl Harrell was virtually a non-factor, accumulating just eight points on the game. While guard Terry Rozier continued to be solid, the remainder of the team's backcourt had to pick up the slack, as Wayne Blackshear and Quentin Snider tallied 19 and 16 points, respectively.

Simply put, Louisville shouldn't be counting on that to be a consistent contingency plan.

Harrell showed up in the team's next game against Northern Iowa, putting up 14 points and adding six rebounds. Rozier continued to be the team's catalyst, producing a 25-point showing, and the end result of that well-rounded play was a 66-point effort.

NC State is coming off an impressive victory over No. 1 Villanova due to a poor shooting day from the Wildcats, and while the Wolfpack has a talented starting five, it has an undersized frontcourt that is solid in the boards but remains inconsistent in terms of scoring.

Production from Lennard Freeman and Abdul-Malik Abu will be necessary for NC State to survive this contest, and there's no guarantee they'll find much room to maneuver across from the physical Harrell.

Prediction: Louisville 66, NC State 62

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 Utah

This should be an interesting clash of strategies, as the Blue Devils feature one of the nation's most potent offenses, and the Utes boast an extremely solid defense. Something is going to give.

Duke recently prevailed against a great San Diego State defense, putting up 68 points thanks in part to a 26-point effort from Jahlil Okafor. The freshman center was on fire in the contest, showcasing his athleticism down low to hit 12 of 16 attempts from the floor. He was complemented by a double-double from Justise Winslow and solid three-point shooting from Quinn Cook.

The Blue Devils showcased their versatility in that contest, shooting 54.5 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from downtown and collecting 33 boards, racking up 16 assists and only committing nine turnovers. Adding to the team's impressive performance, only two of its 68 points came from the free-throw line.

Conversely, Utah had success recently against a very good Georgetown offense. The Utes limited the Hoyas to shoot 43.6 percent from the floor and 36.0 percent from behind the arc. However, Utah's offense had to come through for the win, as Georgetown controlled the inside, coming away with 10 offensive boards that led to 55 shots compared to Utah's 38.

That kind of lopsided number won't work in favor of the Utes going forward. If Okafor is able to establish himself on the inside and Duke is afforded a fair amount of second-chance opportunities, Utah won't be advancing to the Elite Eight.

Prediction: Duke 68, Utah 60

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan State

The final Sweet 16 contest should be one of the most entertaining, as both Oklahoma and Michigan State feature well-rounded teams that excel on both ends of the court. This is a game that should be expected to come down to the wire.

Oklahoma boasts a tremendous duo in Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins, as both guards are tremendously athletic and can drive inside and sit back to hit jumpers from long range. They're complemented by a nice frontcourt that doesn't have much size but plays in an aggressive manner that results in plenty of boards.

The Sooners have a knack for controlling the interior, collecting rebounds, accumulating blocks and forcing turnovers; however, all of those aspects must be present if they are to take down a surging Michigan State team.

Tom Izzo's crew always seems to step up in the postseason. That's the case again this year, as the Spartans took down No. 1 Virginia in the round of 32. While Michigan State isn't the biggest team, it gets plenty of production from athletic forward Branden Dawson on the inside, and guard Travis Trice has been surgical on the perimeter.

Against Virginia's stout defense, Dawson managed to accumulate 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while Trice lit it up from the outside, hitting four of eight threes en route to a 23-point performance.

This is a good shooting team that doesn't turn the ball over often, and combined with a defense that held the Cavaliers to shoot just 29.8 percent from the floor, the Spartans carry enough momentum to advance past this game.

Prediction: Michigan State 71, Oklahoma 69