NCAA Tournament 2017: Updated Bracket Predictions for Weekend Action

Something was missing from the college basketball action while the round of 64 was contested in the NCAA tournament. There were big performances by No. 1 seeds North Carolina, Villanova, Gonzaga and Kansas, and other big-name schools like Duke, UCLA, Louisville and Notre Dame also came up with key victories.

But where were the upsets that have so often been the heartbeat of the tournament?

They were in short supply, and there is no guarantee that the round of 32 will feature buzzer-beaters with the lower seed jumping for joy. But the games that will be played on Saturday and Sunday should feature stellar play now that more than half the number of original teams in the field of 68 have been eliminated.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (33-1) find themselves in the unusual role of Goliath in their David-Goliath matchup Saturday with the Northwestern Wildcats (24-11).

Northwestern made the most of its first invitation to the NCAA tournament with a 68-66 triumph over Vanderbilt, and while much was made of the gaffe by Matthew Fisher-Davis of the Commodores, who fouled the Wildcats' Bryant McIntosh just seconds after Vanderbilt had taken a one-point lead, Northwestern deserves credit for keeping its cool and coming up with a winning effort.

McIntosh made the most of his opportunity and hit his free throws, and the Wildcats were able to survive and advance.

Northwestern had built a 15-point lead in the second half and appeared to be in full control before Vanderbilt mounted a major comeback. If the eighth-seeded Wildcats are going to have a chance at keeping their dream alive and beating the favored Zags, they can't allow a lead to slip away if they are able to build an advantage.

Gonzaga is an 11-point favorite in the 4:15 p.m. ET game at Salt Lake City, according to OddsShark. 

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	Point Spread	Prediction
March 18	West Virginia (4) vs. Notre Dame (5)	12:10 p.m.	West Virgina -2.5	Notre Dame
March 18	Villanova (1) vs. Wisconsin (8)	2:40 p.m.	Villanova -6	Villanova
March 18	Gonzaga (1) vs. Northwestern (8)	5:15 p.m.	Gonzaga -11	Northwestern*
March 18	Florida State (3) vs. Xavier (11)	6:10 p.m.	Florida State -6	Xavier
March 18	Butler (4) vs. Middle Tennessee (13)	7:10 p.m.	Butler -3.5	Butler
March 18	Arizona (2) vs. St. Mary's	7:45 p.m.	Arizona -5	St. Mary's*
March 18	Florida (4) vs. Virginia (5)	8:40 p.m.	Florida -2	Virginia
March 18	Purdue (4) vs. Iowa State (5)	9:40 p.m.	Even	Iowa State
March 19	Louisville (2) vs. Michigan (7)	12:10 p.m.	Louisville -2	Michigan
March 19	Kentucky (2) vs. Wichita State (10)	2:40 p.m.	Kentucky -2	Kentucky
March 19	Kansas (1) vs. Michigan State (9)	5:15 p.m.	Kansas -8.5	Michigan State*
March 19	North Carolina (1) vs. Arkansas (8)	6:10 p.m.	North Carolina -10.5	North Carolina
March 19	Oregon (3) vs. Rhode Island (11)	7:10 p.m.	Oregon -4.5	Oregon
March 19	Baylor (3) vs. USC (11)	7:45 p.m.	Baylor -6.5	Baylor
March 19	Duke (2) vs. South Carolina (7)	8:40 p.m.	--	Duke
March 19	UCLA (3) vs. Cincinnati (6)	9:40 p.m.	--	UCLA
	*Will cover point spread but lose game.

Northwestern forward Sanjay Lumpkin said the Wildcats executed well enough down the stretch to earn their victory, and it wasn't all on the Fisher-Davis foul.

‘‘Yeah, it does give us extra motivation that everyone wants to talk about the foul,’’ Lumpkin told Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Everyone wants to talk about the foul, but they don’t want to talk about the plays we made down the stretch.’’

The Wildcats are going to have to contend with many factors that are going to cause potential problems, but the biggest is the size and strength of Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski, a 7'0", 300-pounder who should be able to impose his will on the smaller Wildcats.

Karnowski is averaging 12.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 60.0 percent from the field. He is Gonzaga's second-leading scorer behind Nigel Williams-Goss, who is averaging 16.6 points per night and shooting 51.3 percent.

McIntosh is averaging 14.7 points and 5.2 assists per game to lead the Wildcats. Scottie Lindsey is right behind with an average of 14.2 points per game.

Prediction: Look for the Wildcats to play their best game here, as they should have little pressure against a No. 1 seed. Northwestern should be able to keep it competitive well into the second half.

However, the Zags are the better and bigger team, and Karnowski should be able to assert himself at key moments. Look for Gonzaga to move on, but Northwestern should be able to stay within the point spread.

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

West Virginia vs. Notre Dame

The first game of the day between fourth-seeded West Virginia (27-8) and fifth-seeded Notre Dame (26-9) could be the most exciting game contested Saturday. These are two evenly matched teams that should be able to match big plays with each other throughout the game.

This game tips off at 12:10 p.m. ET and will be played in Buffalo.

The Irish survived its round-of-64 game with Princeton by a narrow 70-68 margin, while the Mountaineers were involved in a dogfight with Bucknell and emerged with an 86-80 triumph.

Notre Dame is led by junior guard Bonzie Colson, who is averaging 17.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per night. Colson has the ability to get open close to the basket and turn tightly contested possessions into consistent scoring plays.

Colson is joined by V.J. Beachem, who is second on the team in scoring with a mark of 14.7 points per night.

The Mountaineers are led by guard Jevon Carter, who is averaging 13.0 points and 5.0 boards per game. Esa Ahmad is second on the team in scoring 11.3 points per game, and Nathan Adrian is close behind with an average of 9.9 points per night.

Prediction: Notre Dame had a tough fight against Princeton, and it would have been a bitter pill if head coach Mike Brey had seen his team lose that game to the Ivy Leaguers. Look for the Irish to take advantage of that reprieve and get past the Mountaineers, who are favored by two points.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Kansas vs. Michigan State

Many observers expect top-seeded Kansas to have an excellent chance to get all the way to the Final Four this year, if not win the tournament.

The Michigan State Spartans are a freshman-dominated team that suffered a number of key defeats throughout the season, but they were at their best in their Friday night victory over Miami.

Those two teams will meet Sunday at 5:15 p.m. ET in Tulsa.

Kansas (29-4) rolled to a 100-62 victory over UC-Davis Friday night, but the Jayhawks should get a much bigger test from the Spartans (20-14).

The Jayhawks are led by guard Frank Mason III, who is averaging 20.8 points and handing out 5.2 assists per night. In addition to Mason's consistent production, freshman Josh Jackson from Detroit is a huge factor. Jackson has explosive athletic ability and is averaging 16.4 points per game and connecting on 51.5 percent of his shots from the field.

The Spartans are led by their exciting freshman duo of Miles Bridges and Nick Ward, who combine explosive athleticism with the ability to score. Bridges is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, while Ward is scoring 13.9 points per game and connecting on 59.3 percent of his shots from the field.

Prediction: Look for the Spartans to give the Jayhawks all they can handle. The matchup between Jackson and Bridges should be exciting, and if the Michigan State freshman can assert himself against his longtime friend and rival, the Spartans may have a chance at the upset.

However, while we look for Michigan State to keep it close, the Jayhawks and Bill Self should survive and advance over Tom Izzo's Spartans.