NCAA Bracket 2017: Updated Schedule and Predictions for Sunday's Action

There’s one definite for the 2017 NCAA tournament; we’re going to crown a new champion. Overall No. 1 seed Villanova struggled, stumbled and lost to No. 8 Wisconsin, which opens the field for the East Region.

The Wildcats went down as the first major upset within the top four seeds in any region. No. 1 seed Gonzaga earned a victory over Northwestern in the round of 32. The remaining No. 1 seeds, North Carolina and Kansas, should reach the Sweet 16 after somewhat challenging matchups on Sunday.

What about high-seeded favorites Duke, Kentucky and UCLA? Will they fall victim to a surging lower seed?

Before delving into the powerhouse schools, we’ll take a look at Sunday’s predictions, which set up the Sweet 16.

Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Predicted Winner
No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 7 Michigan	12:10 p.m.	CBS	Michigan
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Wichita State	2:40 p.m.	CBS	Kentucky
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 9 Michigan State	5:15 p.m.	CBS	Kansas
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 8 Arkansas	6:10 p.m.	TNT	North Carolina
No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 11 Rhode Island	7:10 p.m.	TBS	Rhode Island
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 11 USC	7:40 p.m.	truTV	USC
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 7 South Carolina	8:40 p.m.	TNT	Duke
No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 6 Cincinnati	9:40 p.m.	TBS	UCLA

Duke Advances as Top East Region Seed 

After Villanova’s loss, the Blue Devils take over the top spot in the East as the overwhelming favorite to win the region. First, they’ll square off against a South Carolina team that crushed Marquette in the first round. The Gamecocks' star player, guard Sindarius Thornwell, dominated the action with 29 points and 11 rebounds. ESPN Stats & Info put his performance in perspective:

Sophomore guard PJ Dozier added 21 points as the secondary star in South Carolina’s win over Marquette.

The Gamecocks started the season strong but lost five of their last seven regular-season games before pulling it together against the Golden Eagles. Now, they’ll take the court against a program on a roll since the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament tipped off less than two weeks ago.

The ACC tournament bred a battle-tested Duke team that’s playing like human buzz saws at the moment. As expected, the Blue Devils thrashed Troy. Freshman forward Jayson Tatum produced a double-double and guard Grayson Allen nailed five three-pointers. Without Villanova, Duke should roll through the East Region.

Kentucky Thwarts Wichita State's Upset Bid

Give credit to Northern Kentucky for fighting in-state powerhouse Kentucky to the finish in a 79-70 loss. The Wildcats' inability to connect on shots beyond the arc leveled the playing field. Head coach John Calipari should also scold his team for turning the ball over 12 times. The Southeastern Conference champions can’t put forth that type of performance against Wichita State and expect to win the contest. 

Freshman guard Malik Monk struggled against Northern Kentucky and missed all six three-point attempts. Aside from forward Zach Brown, Wichita State didn’t shoot particularly well from distance in its first-round matchup either.

The Wildcats don’t live and die by the three-point shot. The roster is built to bang inside and draw fouls for extra scoring opportunities at the free-throw line. Kentucky ranks No. 1 in free-throw attempts and No. 3 in made free throws across the country. If De’Aaron Fox and Edrice Adebayo continue to walk to the charity stripe five or six times, they’ll overcome a poor shooting output on Sunday.

Wichita State will look for revenge after losing to the Kentucky in the 2014 NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed with a perfect 35-0 record in the second round. Unfortunately, Gregg Marshall’s group doesn’t have enough to top a red-hot Wildcats team.

UCLA Keeps Marching for Title 

No. 3 UCLA controlled their contest against No. 14 Kent State. Five players finished with double-digit scoring totals. Off the bench, guard Aaron Holiday produced a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists. Junior center Thomas Welsh fell two rebounds short of a double-double.

For the Bruins, ball movement looked crisp, and they scored in bunches as expected. This isn’t a Lonzo Ball-centric roster. When necessary, the frontcourt can play physical, clean up the boards on the offensive end and defend the paint.

Cincinnati put together a dominant performance against Kansas State which looked gassed from its play-in game on Tuesday. The Bearcats will cause the Bruins to sweat a bit. Senior guard Troy Caupain will force UCLA’s backcourt to play competitive defense. His ability to distribute to forwards Kyle Washington and Gary Clark also deserve heightened attention. 

The Bruins can’t simply shoot their way to a victory over the Bearcats. Head coach Steve Alford must drill his players on the importance of locking down on defense. Cincinnati hovers around 75 points per game, which means added focus to clogging the middle should give UCLA another victory and a ticket to the Sweet 16.

Stats provided by Sports Reference, unless otherwise noted.