NCAA Tournament 2015: Picks, Odds Advice, Schedule After Friday's Sweet 16

One single win.

That is all that stands in the way of a Final Four appearance for college basketball’s last eight squads remaining. Fans of powerhouse teams will be happy to see the Kentucky Wildcats, Wisconsin Badgers, Duke Blue Devils and Arizona Wildcats, among others, still in the NCAA tournament field. In fact, there aren’t really any Cinderella stories alive at this point, which is a testament to the strength of the best teams in the country this season.

The Elite Eight is sure to provide thrilling action and perhaps a buzzer-beater finish or two. Here is a look at some of the essential information following the Sweet 16.

Bracket

Elite Eight Schedule, Predicted Winners and Odds

Matchup	Date	Time	Point Spread	Predicted Winner
Arizona vs. Wisconsin	Saturday, March 28	6:09 p.m. ET	Arizona -1.5	Wisconsin
Kentucky vs. Notre Dame	Saturday, March 28	8:49 p.m. ET	Kentucky -11	Kentucky
Michigan State vs. Louisville	Sunday, March 29	2:20 p.m. ET	Michigan State -2.5	Michigan State
Duke vs. Gonzaga	Sunday, March 29	5:05 p.m. ET	Duke -2.5	Duke

*Points spreads are courtesy of Odds Shark, as of Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.

Advice and Predictions

Don’t Get Caught Up in the Pregame Hype

Everyone got so caught up in the dominating performance from Kentucky against West Virginia in the Sweet 16 during its 78-39 victory Thursday that it’s easy to forget there were plenty of people saying the Mountaineers could pull off the upset before the game started.

After all, West Virginia brings a relentless press to the table and was expected to suffocate the Wildcats guards and compete on the boards with Kentucky's endless supply of big men. That’s not to say many people were actually picking the upset, but a number of commentators and so-called experts foresaw a close contest.

So much for that.

Now you will hear plenty of people suggesting that Notre Dame could challenge the Wildcats as well. It is the next logical progression from those hoping to see competitive basketball in March, but it may be wishful thinking.

To be fair, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune raised a solid point:

Notre Dame is No. 2 in Ken Pomeroy’s pace-adjusted offensive-efficiency rankings (as of Friday night) and will look to space the floor—with as many as five guys who can shoot the three on the court at once—and neutralize Kentucky’s size by hitting from the perimeter.

In theory, that sounds great. So did the West Virginia press.

Kentucky is on another planet when it comes to the rest of the college basketball world. It has NBA size all over the floor, experienced players in the Harrison twins and Willie Cauley-Stein, one of the best coaches in the game prowling the sidelines and a defense that is insanely good.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

In fact, the Wildcats are No. 1 in Pomeroy’s defensive rankings and just held the Mountaineers to a ridiculous 39 points on 24.1 percent shooting from the field and 13.3 percent shooting from three-point range. With the Harrisons and Tyler Ulis harassing ball-handlers and Karl-Anthony Towns, Cauley-Stein and Trey Lyles swatting and challenging shots, there are no weaknesses.

Notre Dame has an excellent offense—one that is dangerous enough to beat any other team in this tournament. It’s just not dangerous enough to beat Kentucky, no matter what you hear before the game actually tips off.

Prediction: Kentucky wins big.

Flip a Coin with Arizona and Wisconsin

Aaron Harrison captured the nation’s attention in last season’s tournament with a string of game-winning threes in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four, and Shabazz Napier led his Connecticut Huskies all the way to the national title. But the Elite Eight showdown between Wisconsin and Arizona was arguably the best game of the entire event.

Now we get to watch it again.

The Badgers edged the Wildcats to the tune of 64-63 in an overtime thriller that came down to the final possession. Frank Kaminsky put his team on his back and finished with 28 points, six of which came in overtime.

The most exciting part about this Elite Eight rematch is that many of the same pieces are still in place. Wisconsin has Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser, Traevon Jackson, Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig, while Arizona has Kaleb Tarczewski, Gabe York, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and T.J. McConnell.

Of course, there is a fairly good chance that Wildcats newcomer Stanley Johnson will have something to say about the outcome of this one as well.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Both teams will be motivated, as Gasser told Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times: “They are going to be exceptionally motivated because of what happened last year. We want to get back to the Final Four too. We want to win the whole thing. If that doesn't motivate us, then we're in the wrong spot.”

While the country focuses on whether Kentucky can be beaten or not, the real storyline of the Elite Eight should be this game. It could once again be the best contest of the tournament with two excellent coaches in Bo Ryan and Sean Miller, future NBA players all over the floor for both teams and motivated squads that desperately want to reach the Final Four.

If you are picking this game, you may as well flip a coin.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

However, the thought here is that Kaminsky will once again find a way to will the Badgers to victory against Arizona. He is a matchup nightmare for someone like Tarczewski (or, really, whoever guards him) and will stretch the defense just enough with his ability to hit from outside and in. Kaminsky will be the hero and give his team another shot at mighty Kentucky.

Prediction: Wisconsin in a nail-biter.