NCAA Tournament 2015: Odds and Predictions for Every Elite Eight Clash

While 68 teams began the 2015 NCAA men's college basketball tournament with championship aspirations, 60 of them have been sent packing and only an Elite Eight group of teams remains.

Most teams that are still in the running have simply lived up to expectations thus far. The likes of Arizona, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Duke and even Notre Dame were all expected to be here to some degree. Others, such as Michigan State and Louisville, though, have exceeded what most thought they were capable of.

Regardless of expectations, only the best of the best remain and have a shot at winning it all. Ahead of the highly anticipated Elite Eight, here is a look at the schedule and odds for every game, including picks for each contest as well.

*Point spreads courtesy of Odds Shark.

Elite Eight Schedule and Odds

Date	Time (ET)	Team 1	Team 2	Spread	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS
Saturday, March 28	6:09 p.m.	Arizona	Wisconsin	ARI (-1)	Arizona	Arizona
Saturday, March 28	8:49 p.m.	Notre Dame	Kentucky	UK (-11)	Kentucky	Notre Dame
Sunday, March 29	2:20 p.m.	Michigan State	Louisville	MSU (-2.5)	Michigan State	Michigan State
Sunday, March 29	5:05 p.m.	Gonzaga	Duke	DUKE (-2.5)	Gonzaga	Gonzaga

Updated Bracket

Elite Eight Predictions

Arizona vs. Wisconsin

In what could be the most entertaining Elite Eight game of the weekend, second-seeded Arizona and No. 1 Wisconsin will lock horns with the West Region on the line.

These teams are the definition of evenly matched, as they're both 34-3 overall and 16-2 in conference play, and both also won their conference tournaments. If that doesn't make the matchup exciting enough, it happens to be a rematch from last year's Elite Eight as well, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

The Badgers edged the Wildcats by one point in overtime in that particular game, so Arizona will undoubtedly come in with revenge on its mind.

Apparently, the oddsmakers believe that will put the Wildcats over the top, as this game marks the first time all season that the Badgers have been underdogs, per RJ Bell of Pregame.com:

Perhaps that distinction will motivate Wisconsin, but that may not be enough. Arizona may have the best starting five in the tournament aside from Kentucky, and while Wisconsin has a solid lineup in its own right, it leans heavily on Frank Kaminsky.

The Badgers will have to pick their poison against the Wildcats between Stanley Johnson, Brandon Ashley, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, T.J. McConnell and Kaleb Tarczewski, which will ultimately push Arizona into the Final Four.

Notre Dame vs. Kentucky

Despite every team it crosses wanting nothing more than to blemish perfection, Kentucky has rolled all the way to the Elite Eight and shows no signs of slowing down. Even so, that won't stop Notre Dame from giving the Wildcats everything they can handle.

There is no hotter team in college basketball than Kentucky since it has won every game, but the Fighting Irish deserve some credit for winning the highly competitive ACC tournament and parlaying that into March Madness success as well.

Notre Dame looked especially strong in its Sweet 16 win over Wichita State, which gives ESPN's Mike Greenberg hope that the Irish can push the Wildcats to the limit:

As good as ND looked in the Sweet 16, though, Kentucky was even better. The Wildcats obliterated a talented West Virginia team 78-39, and it did so primarily with suffocating defense.

Few teams have been able to truly give Kentucky a run for its money this season, but Notre Dame could be that team since it is capable of avoiding the tall trees in the paint and hitting outside shots. In addition to that, Irish head coach Mike Brey knows that he and his team will have plenty of support across the country, per Tom Withers of The Associated Press.

"We are America's team [Saturday]," Brey said. "And we love it, we certainly will take all that support. We've got a monumental challenge on our hands."

Notre Dame is one of the most explosive offensive teams in the nation, which is why it should be able to at least hang in there against the Wildcats. The Irish aren't particularly adept defensively, though, which figures to be an issue due to Kentucky's varied attack.

The Irish are certainly good enough to cover the 11-point spread they face, but they won't be the ones to halt Kentucky's march to perfection.

Michigan State vs. Louisville

In perhaps the most surprising Elite Eight matchup of all, No. 7 Michigan State and No. 4 Louisville will play for a chance to advance to the Final Four out of the East Region. While every other region largely held true to form, the Spartans and Cardinals crashed the party in theirs.

Seeing these two teams in the Elite Eight would be expected in most other years, but Michigan State and Louisville both had down years by their standards. They combined for 19 losses, and neither was able to come away with a conference title in the regular season or tournament.

As pointed out by ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello, it is almost hard to believe that two fairly flawed teams have made it all the way to this point:

Great coaches can do incredible things in college basketball, though, and there is no question that two of the best will go at it Sunday when Tom Izzo's Spartans clash with Rick Pitino's Cardinals.

Izzo and Pitino have been to a combined 13 Final Fours, according to Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, and they will make it 14 regardless of who wins:

While both teams have a feel of destiny, the Spartans stand out a bit more. They very nearly won the Big Ten tournament after a somewhat lackluster season, and they have shown incredible heart and grit throughout March Madness behind the likes of Travis Trice, Denzel Valentine and Branden Dawson.

Louisville shouldn't be discounted, but it barely escaped against UC Irvine in the round of 64, and it doesn't have the type of firepower that the Spartans do on offense.

Michigan State was a chic pick to go on a run in this tournament, and it will prove why in the Elite Eight.

Gonzaga vs. Duke

Few teams are capable of lighting up the scoreboard like Gonzaga and Duke, which is why their Elite Eight encounter could be the most exciting game of the weekend.

Both teams are extremely deep and stacked with players who can score the basketball. This is the Bulldogs' deepest run since 1999, and it may also be the best all-around team they have ever fielded. This is old hat for the Blue Devils, but their roster is anything but with freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones leading the way.

The Zags are led by Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer and his nearly 17 points per game, but he is just the tip of the iceberg. Gonzaga has eight players who average at least 17 minutes per contest, a fantastic post presence and a deadly back-court.

As pointed out by Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com, the Bulldogs know how to take care of the basketball, which is paramount this time of the year:

Duke is favored due in large part to its star power and the presence of head coach Mike Krzyzewski on the sidelines, but Gonzaga may very well be the better overall team. This may ultimately represent the Zags' best chance to go all the way to the national championship game as well.

Head coach Mark Few and Gonzaga likely view this as a golden opportunity, and they won't let it slip away, as they'll get past Duke in a thriller.

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