Sweet 16 2017: Updated Bracket, Schedule and Odds for 2017 NCAA Tournament

Are the Michigan Wolverines a team of destiny in this year's NCAA tournament?

They will have to win four more games to prove that, but they have been providing a strong indication that they are ready to make a legitimate run at the Division I men's basketball national championship.

It started earlier this month as the Wolverines were preparing to fly to Washington D.C. for the Big Ten tournament. Their plane was involved in a mishap, and while there were no injuries and Michigan was able to fly to its destination, it could have had a disastrous outcome.

The seventh-seeded Wolverines (26-11) put the near-disaster behind them and won the Big Ten tournament, and they have followed that up with tight victories over Oklahoma State and Louisville to advance to the Sweet 16, where they will play third-seeded Oregon (31-5).

Despite the difference in seeds, the Wolverines are 1.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark. 

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Point Spread	Prediction
Thursday	Michigan (7) vs. Oregon (3)	7:09 p.m.	CBS	Michigan (-1.5)	Michigan
Thursday	West Virginia (4) vs. Gonzaga (1)	7:39 p.m.	TBS	Gonzaga (-3)	Gonzaga
Thursday	Purdue (4) vs. Kansas (1)	9:39 p.m.	CBS	Kansas (-4.5)	Kansas
Thursday	Xavier (11) vs. Arizona (2)	10:09 p.m.	TBS	Arizona (-7)	Xavier
Friday	Butler (4) vs. North Carolina (1)	7:09 p.m.	CBS	North Carolina (-7)	North Carolina*
Friday	South Carolina (7) vs. Baylor (3)	7:29 p.m.	TBS	Baylor (-3.5)	Baylor
Friday	UCLA (3) vs. Kentucky (2)	9:39 p.m.	CBS	UCLA (-1)	UCLA
Friday	Wisconsin (8) vs. Florida (4)	9:59 p.m.	TBS	Florida (-1.5)	Wisconsin

Michigan was able to execute extremely well in the second half against Louisville, as the Wolverines overcame a 36-28 halftime deficit and pulled out the 73-69 victory over the Cardinals.

Moritz Wagner scored a career-high 26 points that included 11 of 14 shooting, and his unexpected outburst was one of the big reasons Michigan was able to survive and advance.

The Wolverines may not be able to count on another game like that from Wagner, but he has been a steady performer who is averaging 12.2 points per game.

The big game is more likely to come from Derrick Walton Jr., who leads the Wolverines with an average of 15.4 points per game and is connecting on 87.3 percent of shots from the free-throw line. Zak Irvin is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per night.

Michigan also got a lift from D.J. Wilson, who hit clutch free throws in both of Michigan's tournament victories. 

"The basket gets small at times; it didn't get small for D.J.," head coach John Beilein told Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press. "He just stepped up. I'm looking at one slightly hit the rim. The others ones were right down the middle."

John Locher/Associated Press

The Ducks are a formidable opponent and they are not going to Kansas City Thursday night with the intention of bowing down to the red-hot Wolverines. Junior forward Dillon Brooks is leading Oregon in scoring with 16.4 points per night and is connecting on 50.5 percent of his shots from the field.

Sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey is second on the team with 14.0 points per game.

This matchup is likely to come down to the final minutes, and it would not be a shocker if it was decided on the last possession.

There are a number of dramatic matchups in the Sweet 16, but it's difficult to find one that has greater potential than the meeting between second-seeded Kentucky (31-5) and third-seeded UCLA (31-4) Friday night at 9:39 p.m. ET in Memphis.

The Bruins have the most prolific offense in the nation, as they are averaging 90.2 points per game. Head coach Steve Alford has a slew of high scorers, including TJ Leaf, Bryce Alford, Lonzo Ball and Isaac Hamilton, all of who are averaging 14.0 points or more per game.

However, the most explosive part of UCLA's offense is Ball's ability to handle the ball, pass it and run the offense. Not only does he find the open man and lead the team with 7.6 assists per game, he does it with relative ease.

He also has an awkward-looking shooting motion, but that does not bother Alford. 

"I don't care how he brings it; he gets it to the right spot at the right time and that's just in the release," Alford said (h/t Clay Fowler of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin). "Ultimately putting the ball in the basket is the right spot at the end of the whole thing, and he's doing a very good job of that."

Ball's ability to score and throw pinpoint passes often put opposing defenses on their heels, allowing the Bruins to string runs together.

Kentucky has advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Northern Kentucky and Wichita State, and John Calipari's team has spectacular athletic ability in Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox, who create major matchup problems for opponents.

The Bruins are one-point favorites, and this game appears to be a potential classic.