2015 NCAA printable bracket: Sweet 16 set to begin

The 2015 NCAA Tournament field has dwindled from the 68 it started with to just 16 remaining teams. That number will be cut down even further beginning with the first four Sweet 16 games on Thursday. With a No. 1 seed and two No. 2 seeds already falling, there is a good chance your bracket is looking relatively busted heading into the second weekend of the tournament. If that’s the case, you can start fresh with our newly updated printable bracket ready for the Sweet 16.

If you didn’t pick Kentucky to advance in your original bracket, picking the Wildcats this time around is probably a good idea. The undefeated Wildcats still look to be the cream of the crop as they inch closer to the first undefeated college basketball season since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. The Wildcats are now 36-0 and four wins away from a perfect season. To get there, they will first have to get past West Virginia. The Mountaineers looked good in wins against Buffalo and Maryland, but the Wildcats pose an even bigger challenge.

While three No. 1 seeds are still alive heading into the second weekend, the tournament has also been kind to lower seeds. Of the remaining 16 teams, five are No. 6 seeds or lower. That includes No. 11 UCLA, the lowest seed remaining. The Bruins didn’t leave much margin for error in getting into the tournament -- with many even disapproving of their selection -- but UCLA has taken advantage of the opportunity. The game won’t be the first time the two teams have met in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA pulled off a 73-71 victory in the 2006 Sweet 16. That game ended with Gonzaga star Adam Morrison crying on the court. A Gonzaga victory would send the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1999.

Although the bracket has been narrowed, picking winners still isn’t an easy task. Several of the eight matchups appear close to even. The East region is especially tough to pick with upsets eliminating the top two seeds. That leaves a No. 8 vs. No. 4 matchup between N.C. State and Louisville and No. 3 vs. No. 7 game between Oklahoma and Michigan State. The Sooners are the highest seed remaining in the region, but picking against Tom Izzo and Michigan State has busted more than a few brackets already.