Nearly 90 percent of the teams that comprised the field at the start of the 2015 NCAA men's basketball tournament have been eliminated, leaving eight survivors only one game away from the Final Four.As ESPN.com's Andy Katz noted, the college basketball gods couldn't have given fans a much better group heading into the Elite Eight:Everybody loves watching smaller schools spring early upsets, but when it gets down to this stage, the majority of fans want to see the best teams in the country battle for supremacy. And that's what this year's Elite Eight will provide.Updated BracketElite Eight ScheduleElite Eight PreviewsNo. 2 Arizona vs. No. 1 WisconsinWhen the field of 68 was set on Selection Sunday, fans across the country clamored for a potential Elite Eight rematch between Arizona and Wisconsin. The Badgers narrowly edged out the Wildcats last year in overtime, and given the strength of both teams, a second meeting in as many years should be just as close.According to ESPN Stats & Info, two teams haven't played each other in back-to-back Elite Eights since 1974:Neither Wisconsin nor Arizona looked particularly great in the Sweet 16. The Badgers needed a double-double from Sam Dekker to best the North Carolina Tar Heels, while the Wildcats shot 40.7 percent from the field in a narrow victory over the Xavier Musketeers.Both games illustrated the teams' flaws but also showed that they can overcome those flaws and still prevail.For Wisconsin, it was about winning a big game despite Frank Kaminsky not being his best. Badgers forward Nigel Hayes takes exception to the idea that the Big Ten champions are a one-man show, per Josh Peter of USA Today:It just shows how good we are. A lot of people probably would say that we go where Frank goes, which I guess is all fine and dandy, he is player of the year.We went against a good Carolina team and it shows that we have other guys that will step up and pick up in those areas, whether that be rebounding or scoring of defense or just making plays in general.Because it plays the game at such a slow pace, Wisconsin sometimes fails to receive the proper praise for its extremely efficient offense. KenPom.com ranks the Badgers first in adjusted offense even though they're averaging a slightly less impressive 71.9 points a game.CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie highlighted how deceiving Wisconsin can be on that end of the court:Arizona is one of the best defensive teams in the country, but the Wildcats haven't exactly shot the ball well in their last two games. Even in their 73-58 win over Ohio State in the third round, they shot just 23-of-63 from the field.Oregon and North Carolina both shot fairly well against Wisconsin, but they also played at a slightly quicker pace than Arizona does. A slower game favors the Badgers' style.You really can't go wrong picking either team in this one. Compelling cases could be made for both outcomes.In the end, Wisconsin's offensive strength will put it over the top.Winner: WisconsinNo. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 KentuckyAt this point, Kentucky has reached horror-movie villain status. You can throw everything at the Wildcats, and it won't make a dent in them. Their 78-39 victory over West Virginia illustrated how good they can be when they're fully motivated.Andrew Harrison's post-game tweet seemed to indicate that Kentucky's players took exception to Daxter Miles Jr.'s bold guarantee:Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller didn't go so far as to say that Thursday night's win over the Mountaineers makes the Wildcats a "lock," but they remain the clear favorite to win it all:Basically, it's hard to see how anybody can beat Kentucky.According to KenPom.com, the Wildcats are the most balanced team in the country, ranking sixth in adjusted offense and first in adjusted defense. The depth in head coachJohn Calipari's team also means that opponents can't shut down just one or two players and expect to win. Kentucky goes about 10 deep.With all of that said, a team like Notre Dame might be in a position where it could challenge the Wildcats.Opponents can't afford to be too patient offensively. The longer you wait, the more you allow the Kentucky defense to get set and in position. You have to attack quickly and unleash a high volume of shotsthat way, being held to 35 percent shooting doesn't completely doom you to defeat.According to Sports-Reference.com, the Fighting Irish rank 26th in field-goal attempts and 27th in three-point attempts. While they aren't exactly an uptempo team, they aren't afraid to chuck it, which could come in handy against Kentucky.Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey remains confident that his team has what it takes to pull off the improbable victory, per Jeff Fischel of the ACC Digital Network:Of course, it would be disconcerting to see Brey waving the white flag a day before the game and telling everybody not to show up.An upset isn't outside the realm of possibility, but it's a gamble I'm not willing to make. Until somebody beats Kentucky, I won't predict that it's going to happen.Winner: KentuckyNo. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 4 LouisvilleWhich overachieving team can make the Final Four'Some made the argument that Louisville was over-seeded by the selection committee. Now, the Cardinals are one game away from the Final Four. A trip to the Elite Eight was a done deal, given head coach Rick Pitino's record in the Sweet 16, per ESPN Stats & Info:Many felt the dismissal of Chris Jones ruined the Cardinals' chances of being a player in the NCAA tournament, but the opposite has proved to be true. CBS Sports Network's Wally Szczerbiak argued that Jones' absence instead galvanized the team:Meanwhile, head coach Tom Izzo has taken a Michigan State team few felt was truly exceptional into the Elite Eight as well. USA Today's Nicole Auerbach reported that he's in a good state of mind following the Spartans' win over Oklahoma:It's tough to make a decision either way here, given the way both teams have come on so strong in March. All of a sudden, the issues that cropped up during the regular season aren't so apparent.What might make the difference is Michigan State's trio of Denzel Valentine, Travis Trice and Branden Dawson. Sean Merriman highlighted how their play late in the second half against Oklahoma gave the Spartans the win:Izzo gets the slight edge, barely.Winner: Michigan StateNo. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 DukeThe easiest way to stop Gonzaga is by limiting Kyle Wiltjer. In the Zags' two losses this year, he averaged 9.5 points on 29.6 percent shooting, which was down from his normal averages of 17.1 points and 54.8 percent from the field.Duke might have the perfect guy to throw at Wiltjer in Justise Winslow. The freshman forward wreaks havoc on both sides of the ball. He finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, one steal and two blocksone of which was of the ferocious chase-down varietyin the Blue Devils' win over Utah.ESPN's Jeff Borzello is already making the comparison to the likes of Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard:Winslow will almost certainly be lined up on Wiltjer for most of the game, and the same goes for Wiltjer against Winslow.Offensively, you'd have to give Wiltjer the edge. He's the better pure scorer, boasting a solid inside game and a superior outside game to that of Winslow.Defensively, though, Winslow owns the advantage, which may decide the outcome of Duke vs. Gonzaga.Winslow doesn't need to score a bunch in order for the Blue Devils to win. Sure, it would help, but he's the team's third-leading scorer this year. Jahlil Okafor and Quinn Cook will likely be tasked with shouldering the majority of the scoring burdengranted, they'll have problems of their own.Wiltjer's offensive performance will be more important to his team's chances. Gonzaga didn't get this far by being a one-man show, but much like the 2005-06 version of the Zags that relied heavily on Adam Morrison, the same is true of this year's Zags team.It's hard to envision the Bulldogs being able to overcome a poor shooting night from Wiltjer, and with Winslow constantly hounding him on Sunday, there's a distinct possibility that will happen.Maybe Wiltjer can prove me wrong, but I see Winslow giving him too many problems, leading to an exit for Gonzaga.Prediction: DukeNote: Elite Eight odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.
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