Sweet 16 2018: Updated Bracket and TV Info for Remainder of NCAA Tournament

Halfway through the slate of Sweet 16 games at the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament, it feels like we've seen everything.

After a pair of No. 9 seeds and a No. 11 seed moved on to the Elite Eight Thursday, a few of the nation's top programs will try to avoid the same fate as Kentucky and Gonzaga Friday.

Although the potential for an eye-popping upset is slim given the seeds of each team involved in Friday's games, there's still the potential for the unexpected to surprise us once again in March Madness.

No. 1 seeds Kansas and Villanova open up Friday's action, while No. 2 seeds Duke and Purdue are set to shine in the pair of late games,

Updated Bracket

South

No. 9 Kansas State vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago

West

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 9 Florida State

East

No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 5 West Virginia

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 3 Texas Tech

Midwest

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Clemson

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 11 Syracuse

NCAA Tournament Schedule

Sweet 16

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Clemson (Friday, 7:07 p.m., CBS)

No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 5 West Virginia (Friday, 7:27 p.m., CBS)

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 11 Syracuse (9:37 p.m., CBS)

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (9:57 p.m., TBS)

Elite Eight

No. 9 Kansas State vs. No. 11 Loyola-Chicago (Saturday, 6:09 p.m., TBS)

No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 9 Florida State (Saturday, 8:49 p.m., TBS)

East region final (Sunday, Time and TV TBD)

Midwest regional final (Sunday, Time and TV TBD)

Final Four (Saturday, March 31, Times TBD)

South region champion vs. West region champion (TBS)

East region champion vs. Midwest region champion (TBS)

National Championship

Winner of national semifinal No. 1 vs. winner of national semifinal No. 2 (9:20 p.m., TBS)

Can Established Programs Survive Upsets on Friday?

In most years, it would be easy to pencil a pair of No. 1 and No. 2 seeds into the Elite Eight due to their overwhelming talent.

But this isn't any year in men's basketball, and there's a chance each of the four higher seeds playing Friday could succumb to an upset.

While we were busy paying attention to all the upsets in the first two rounds, No. 5 Clemson reeled off two impressive wins in San Diego.

If the Tigers replicate their 47-percent-shooting game with 10 three-pointers from the win over Auburn, they'll challenge No. 1 Kansas, who relies on the play of its guards maybe too much at times.

Speaking of guards, the backcourt battle between No. 1 Villanova and No. 5 West Virginia is going to be intriguing, at least at the beginning of the game.

The Wildcats and Mountaineers crushed their respective opposition in the first and second rounds behind terrific backcourt play.

Friday's matchup to watch pits Villanova's Jalen Brunson against West Virginia's Jevon Carter. The pair of ball-handlers must maintain poise on the hardwood, as the opponent throws all sorts of defensive looks at them.

If Brunson and Carter fail to thrive, both teams have backup options that are ready to take over in a heartbeat.

Villanova contains a few backcourt assassins in Phil Booth, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo, while Daxter Miles Jr. is Carter's right-hand man for West Virginia.

Then, of course, there's the battle of zones between No. 2 Duke and No. 11 Syracuse.

Duke shifted to the zone out of necessity in the middle of the season, while the Orange are known for their stingy 2-3 zone, a setup that confused No. 3 Michigan State in the second round.

In theory, Duke should control the ACC showdown with its wide range of talent led by freshman Marvin Bagley III.

If you go by the stats alone, the Blue Devils are expected to outscore the Orange by a landslide since the second-seeded team in the Midwest region was eighth in points per game with 84.7 during the regular season, while Syracuse was tied for 308th alongside UTEP and Virginia at 67.5 points per game.

Second-seeded Purdue, who will most likely be without Isaac Haas, faces a No. 3 Texas Tech team led by Keenan Evans.

Although the Red Raiders didn't receive a ton of national attention down the stretch, they pushed Kansas for the majority of the Big 12 season, and they proved in the first weekend of the tournament they're a battle-tested bunch ready for more success Friday.

Given all the unexpected results we've seen throughout the tournament, we have to expect more nonsense to occur Friday, but if the blue bloods have their way, that trend could finally come to an end.

Will Isaac Haas Actually Play?

The most-watched elbow in America belongs to Purdue center Isaac Haas. 

The senior fractured his elbow in the first round against No. 15 Cal State Fullerton, but instead of accepting his fate, Haas tried to find a way to play against No. 10 Butler in the second round.

Without an NCAA-approved brace, Haas was left on the sidelines for the clash with the Bulldogs, which led to Purdue engineering students to help make a better brace for the big man.

Sports Illustrated provided us with a look at the new brace Haas might try to play with.

However, just because Haas has a new elbow brace doesn't mean he's going to be on the court Friday when second-seeded Purdue takes on Texas Tech in Boston.

Haas struggled in practice with basic shooting techniques with his right arm, which leads many to believe he won't produce a miraculous comeback.

The senior is appreciative of everything that's been done for him, but he understands the process to get him on the court isn't simple, per Nathan Baird of the Journal and Courier.

"I've seen a whole lot of messages and requests and stuff," Haas said. "It's people saying, Keep your head up. Thank you for everything you've done.' There's always those few people who are like, 'Oh, just wrap it and play.' I'm like, it doesn't exactly work like that. Trust me, if it did I'd already be out there."

Although not having Haas on the court is a detriment to Purdue's success, it has a replacement in freshman Matt Haarms ready to take over.

Haarms played well in his first extended minutes of the season against Butler, and Purdue's supporting cast rallied around each other to make game-changing plays.

If guards Carsen and Vincent Edwards and Dakota Mathias lead the way with their experience and knock down a few shots in the backcourt, it will open up the game for Haarms, who brings a near-identical style of play to the court as Haas.

As long as Purdue finds balance on offense and benefits from its senior leadership, it should be able to secure a victory and move on to the Elite Eight.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.