NCAA Basketball Tournament 2016: Sweet 16, Elite 8 Schedule, Odds and Picks

Can anyone stop North Carolina or Kansas, or are the two high-powered No. 1 seeds destined to meet in a Final Four semifinal game?

The Tar Heels and Jayhawks appear to be on a major roll, but will the Oregon Ducks and the Virginia Cavaliers be able to join them? The Ducks were pushed hard by St. Joseph's in the round of 32, while the Cavaliers figure to get challenged severely by fourth-seeded Iowa State.

Oregon would appear to have a major test on its hands as the Ducks prepare to face the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Thursday night. Mike Krzyzewski does not have one of his classic teams, and the Blue Devils are just a fourth seed in the tournament. As a result, nobody is talking about the Duke being a serious contender for the title once again.

But here's the bottom line. There are 16 teams that are still alive at this stage of the tournament, and the Blue Devils are one of them. The Ducks have already been pressed hard in the tournament, and they are under pressure against the defending champions.

Krzyzewski knows how to handle any coaching situation, and he can get the message across to his team that it has nothing to lose.The Ducks are three-point favorites, according to Odds Shark, and 58 percent of the bettors are backing Oregon.

Matchup	Date	Point Spread	Selection
Miami (Fla.)-Villanova	March 24	Villanova -4	Villanova
Texas A&M-Oklahoma	March 24	Oklahoma -2.5	Texas A&M
Maryland-Kansas	March 24	Kansas -6.5	Kansas
Duke-Oregon	March 24	Oregon -3	Duke
Iowa State-Virginia	March 25	Virginia -5	Iowa State*
Wisconsin-Notre Dame	March 25	Notre Dame -1	Notre Dame
Gonzaga-Syracuse	March 25	Gonzaga -4	Syracuse
Indiana-North Carolina	March 25	North Carolina -5.5	North Carolina
*Will cover point spread, but will not win game.

But Duke has a fine one-two punch in Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. Allen is averaging 22.0 points per game and is connecting on 46.4 percent of his shots from the field. Ingram can be a force when he gets going, and he is averaging 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per night.

Amile Jefferson is also going to be a key factor for the Blue Devils, as he comes down with a team-leading 10.3 rebounds per game in addition to scoring 11.4 points per game.

If Allen, Ingram and Jefferson all play well, the Ducks may have a difficult time on the defensive end. Oregon is led by Dillon Brooks, who is averaging 16.8 points per game and getting plenty of support from Elgin Cook, who is averaging 14.5 points per night.

Head coach Dana Altman and his Ducks have won 10 games in a row coming into this contest, but this could be an ideal situation for Duke. If the Blue Devils can keep it close for a half, the pressure on Oregon will grow in the final 20 minutes.

Look for Duke to pull it out in the final seconds and claim the upset over the disappointed Ducks.

Wisconsin made it all the way to the championship game a year ago before the the Blue Devils brought the Badgers' season to an end. This year, the Badgers have made it to the Sweet 16 after recording victories over Pittsburgh and Xavier in the first two rounds of the tournament. This is Wisconsin's fifth straight appearance in the Sweet 16.

The Badgers appear to have a difficult matchup against Notre Dame when the two teams meet in Philadelphia on Friday night.

The Badgers have certainly exceeded expectations this year under Greg Gard, who took over on the bench following the retirement of Bo Ryan, and they are just one-point underdogs against the Irish, according to OddsShark.

Wisconsin got the best of Xavier on a three-pointer at the buzzer by Bronson Koenig, so the Badgers clearly are not afraid to handle end-of-game situations.

In addition to Koenig, who is averaging 13.3 points per game, they look to 6'8", 235-pound Nigel Hayes and 6'9", 230-pound Ethan Happ for the bulk of their front-line scoring.

Hayes is averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Happ is averaging 12.4 points and coming down with a team-best 7.8 rebounds per night.

Matchup	Region	Date
North Carolina-Indiana winner vs. Notre Dame-Wisconsin winner	East	March 27
Kansas-Maryland winner vs. Miami (Fla.)-Villanova winner	South	March 26
Virginia-Iowa State winner vs. Gonzaga-Syracuse winner	Midwest	March 27
Oregon-Duke winner vs. Oklahoma-Texas A&M winner	West	March 26

Notre Dame is a tough, smart and effective team that got to the Sweet 16 with hard-earned victories over Michigan and Stephen F. Austin.

Head coach Mike Brey has plenty of depth on the offensive end with five players who are averaging in double figures.

Demetrius Jackson has been Brey's most productive player, leading the team with 15.5 points per game, just slightly better than Zach Auguste, who is scoring 14.3 points per night and also coming down with a team-best 10.9 rebounds per game. V.J. Beachem, Steve Vasturia and Bonzie Colson are also double-digit scorers.

In the end, Notre Dame may just have a little bit more talent than the Badgers. Both teams have plenty of toughness and intelligence, but the Fighting Irish got to the Elite Eight a year ago before losing to Kentucky, and they will not be denied a chance to get there again.

Notre Dame controls the final five minutes and ends the Badgers' season.