Final Four 2015: Updated Schedule, TV Coverage and Early Predictions

And then there were four.

Madness receded in the Elite Eight of the bracket, birthing a No. 1 vs. No. 1 showdown in the Final Four with three top seeds left standing in total.

The Wisconsin Badgers banged and bruised their way down low to a victory against Arizona. In a strange turn of events, the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats almost suffered a loss at the hands of a Notre Dame team with the perfect recipe.

On Sunday, the Michigan State Spartans survived an overtime thriller against Louisville in a hyped slugfest between two prestigious programs. Afterwards, the Duke Blue Devils cruised against second-seeded Gonzaga.

The result is a pair of matchups equivalent to heavyweight bouts. While the madness takes a break, there's no reason not to take an early look at the showdowns.

Final Four Schedule and Picks

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Pick
April 4	No. 7 Michigan St. vs. No. 1 Duke	6:09 p.m.	TBS	Duke
April 4	No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wisconsin	8:49 p.m.	TBS	Kentucky

Early Final Four Predictions

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 1 Wisconsin

Everyone's dream matchup is here. 

Kentucky, ranked first in ESPN's RPI rankings, takes on Wisconsin, ranked second.

Feel free to call the showdown the most interesting chess match of the season. Wisconsin is the embodiment of offensive perfection, squeezing the absolute most out of each trip down the court. Kentucky? The exact opposite, suffocating opposing offenses in all phases each time the opposition decides to bring the ball across half court.

Efficiency rankings at KenPom.com say it all:

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF
Kentucky	6	1
Wisconsin	1	55

Wisconsin was its usual self in the Elite Eight against Arizona, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 12-of-18 from deep. Frank Kaminsky poured in a game-high 29 points, with Sam Dekker close behind at 27.

CBS Sports' Seth Davis put it best:

Kentucky didn't have it as easy, as Notre Dame's guards gave the Wildcats fits. Well, until down the stretch, when the Fighting Irish's composure crumpled and Kentucky remained as efficient as ever in all phases.

The question is: Can Wisconsin do enough in the paint with its two star forwards against Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein?

Sure, Kaminsky might be the best player in the nation and shoots like a guard trapped inside a center's body, but will it be enough to stretch the court and open the lane?

The answer's no. Wisconsin won't be able to stretch out Kentucky as well as Notre Dame did, because the Badgers guards aren't as good. When it comes to composure down the stretch once again, the Wildcats will be as steady as ever and capitalize on a shaky Wisconsin defense.

Prediction: Kentucky 74, Wisconsin 70

No. 7 Michigan St. vs. No. 1 Duke

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Credit goes to Tom Izzo's Spartans, as surviving an overtime thriller in the Elite Eight is never an easy task.

Compounding the issue was the fact that the task came against Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals, a team on the receiving end of 28 points by Wayne Blackshear.

No matter, though, as Izzo's guard duo of Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine put on a show, scoring 17 and 15, respectively, while the Spartans as a whole shot 43.3 percent from the floor.

For Izzo, doubts surrounding his team acted as motivation all season long, as he told The Associated Press after the game (via ESPN.com):

"

I'd like to tell you that I thought five different times this year that we were good enough to get to a Final Four, but I'd be lying to you. But I think the burning desire to be in this Final Four, and they didn't want to be a group that didn't make it. I think it was more of the battle cry all year long.

"

The task is even more difficult in the Final Four, though.

Duke seems unstoppable on the offensive end of the court at this point, getting just nine points from star forward Jahlil Okafor against Gonzaga but still winning 66-52 as the other four starters reached double digits.

Team	ADJ OFF	ADJ DEF
Michigan State	13	47
Duke	3	26

Call it par for the course for Duke, as the efficiency ratings show. It was much of the same against fifth-seeded Utah, as Okafor scored six and everyone else picked up the slack.

While it was quite a long time ago, Duke already owns a win against this Michigan State team thanks to an encounter in November. A repeat for the red-hot Blue Devils in which they once again shoot over 50 percent from the field seems in the cards as the gassed Spartans can't keep pace.

Prediction: Duke 76, Michigan State 73

Stats and info are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.