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Sweet 16 Off Day Open Thread

There's more basketball today.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky doesn't play today, and it can't possibly play more than one of the eight teams playing today. That doesn't mean we can't find some fun.

If the Wildcats make the final, who are they most likely to see out of these teams? I'll rank them from least to most likely. Tell me in the comments where I went wrong.

8. NC State

Well done to the Wolfpack for getting this far, but I don't see Mark Gottfried with a lesser team beating out Rick Pitino with a better team, do you?

T-6. UCLA and Gonzaga

We're breaking new ground thanks to these two playing each other. Neither Steve Alford nor Mark Few has ever made it past the Round of 16, so history is in the making, folks. One of these coaches is going to set a new career best tournament run, but he'll probably not get past the Elite Eight.

5. Oklahoma

The Sooners are good, but the last time Lon Kruger made it past the Sweet 16 was when he took Florida to the 1994 Final Four.

4. Utah

The Utes get a boost here by being in line for the UCLA/Gonzaga winner should they beat Duke.

3. Michigan State

Izzo, man. Izzo.

2. Louisville

Can you imagine a Kentucky-Louisville final? I feel like I need to go look up the live stream of the Lexington police scanner just in case.

1. Duke

Look, I know the Blue Devils have underachieved in some recent years. Jahlil Okafor is the real deal, though, and K is usually pretty good when he's not being distracted by the national team.

Tonight's Schedule

11 UCLA vs. 2 Gonzaga, 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS

8 NC State vs. 4 Louisville, 7:37 p.m. ET, TBS

5 Utah vs. 1 Duke, 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS

7 Michigan State vs. 3 Oklahoma, 10:07 p.m. ET, TBS