NCAA Tournament 2017: Early Predictions for Sweet 16 Teams Post-Selection Sunday

The bracket is finally set, and it's time for the 68-team NCAA tournament to begin. 

But before the tournament tips off, first we have to fill out our brackets, which means pouring over stats and trying to pick the inevitable upsets that will bust everyone's brackets. 

Before filling out your final bracket, take a look at the upcoming matchups and some predictions for the Sweet 16 favorites.  

Click here for B/R's printable bracket.

Matchup	Matchup
1 Villanova vs. 5 Virginia	2 Duke vs. 6 SMU

The defending champs reside in the East Region this year as the Villanova Wildcats earned the top overall seed in the tournament. 

Unfortunately for Villanova, the path to a repeat isn't easy. In fact, the Wildcats could be tested before they even reach the Sweet 16, especially if they face the Wisconsin Badgers in the second round. 

If Villanova reaches the Sweet 16, it could face a tough test from the Virginia Cavaliers, one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation. Virginia held opponents to a 39.6 field-goal percentage this season, among the best in the nation. 

The Duke Blue Devils are also a threat in the East, coming off an ACC tournament victory in which they knocked off the Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina Tar Heels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on consecutive days. 

East Region Favorite: Duke 

Matchup	Matchup
1 Gonzaga vs. 5 Notre Dame	2 Arizona vs. 11 Xavier

The West Region is one of the few spots in which we could see a double-digit seed sneak into the Sweet 16, thanks to the Xavier Musketeers. 

Xavier earned an 11th seed due to some bad losses on the resume, but the Musketeers also have four wins against the RPI Top 50, including a win over the Butler Bulldogs in the Big East tournament. Despite the resume, Xavier has proven capable of knocking off the top teams on any given night and is definitely a threat as an 11th seed. 

A Sweet 16 showdown between Xavier and the Arizona Wildcats would pit Arizona head coach Sean Miller against the school he led to four NCAA tournaments. 

This is a difficult region for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are still looking for the first Final Four berth in school history. 

Should Arizona and Gonzaga reach the Elite Eight, it would be a rematch of an early-season game, which Gonzaga won 69-62. But Gonzaga may have a tough time sneaking past Notre Dame, which is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation. According to Sports-Reference.com, the Irish led the nation with the lowest turnover percentage. 

West Region favorite: Arizona

Matchup	Matchup
1 Kansas vs. 4 Purdue	3 Oregon vs. 7 Michigan

It's been a down year for the Big Ten, but the conference could still make some noise in the Midwest Region. 

Purdue is a particularly dangerous tournament team due to its three-point shooting. The Boilermakers ranked seventh in the nation in three-point percentage, hitting over 40 percent of their shots from the behind the arc. And with six players averaging at least one three-pointer per game, they have the ability to spread the ball around and find the hot hand. 

The Michigan Wolverines, fresh off a Big Ten tournament championship, also have the ability to pull off some upsets in the tournament. A potential second-round matchup with the Louisville Cardinals is a favorable draw for Michigan and could allow them to sneak into the Sweet 16. 

Louisville was just 7-8 against the RPI Top 50 this season, making it vulnerable to a team like Michigan, which finished the season ranked 30th in the RPI.

Midwest Region favorite: Kansas

Matchup	Matchup
1 North Carolina vs. 4 Butler	2 Kentucky vs. 3 UCLA

The top of the South Region is stacked with talent, which could lead to a lot of chalk by the time we reach the Sweet 16. 

While it's boring to fill out a bracket with too much chalk, we would be rewarded in this case with some classic matchups. The UCLA Bruins and Kentucky Wildcats are both loaded with young talent, most notably UCLA's Lonzo Ball. 

This game could potentially be the biggest stage Ball plays on in his presumably brief college career and could help him make a statement for the NBA before he turns pro. 

South Region favorite: North Carolina