Amelia Rayno's Sweet 16: End of the road for Kentucky (and more)

Bracket destruction be darned, I'm still shunning Kentucky. The Wildcats, staggering favorites, are going down, and I'm calling that it happens in a matter of hours.

West Virginia is a tough, confident, well-coached team, and the best in the nation at turning its opponents over — a new challenge for a Kentucky team that has faced most everything else. The Mountaineers have the depth to go blow-for-blow with the Wildcats, the athleticism to defend them, and enough size not to be a liability.

Sometimes all it takes is the right test. For Kentucky, this West Virginia team might be it.

Other thoughts and predictions, perhaps less crazy, heading into Thursday's Sweet 16 play:

Best four matchups

Wisconsin-North Carolina (Thursday): The No. 1-seeded Badgers have looked every bit as strong as their billing, dominating the Big Ten, winning the league tournament and plowing through Coastal Carolina and Oregon. But 4 seed Carolina has the length and athleticism to give Wisconsin a fight, similar to Maryland's victory over the Badgers in conference play. Should make for great television.

Kentucky-West Virginia (Thursday): Much has been made about the Mountaineers' disruptive style, and with good reason. Did you see normally steady Maryland against 5 seed West Virginia's defense on Sunday? Turnover city. Can the No. 1 Wildcats handle the pressure? It's something John Calipari's sensational offense hasn't dealt with this season. Who's with me? WVU freshman guard Daxter Miles, anyway. "They should be more intimidated ... we're coming for them," Miles told reporters this week. "I give them their props, salute them for getting to 36-0. But tomorrow, they're going to be 36-1."

Wichita State-Notre Dame (Thursday): This might be the most evenly matched Sweet 16 game. Both teams have high-powered offenses with game-changing guards who can devastate from the perimeter. The difference is while the Shockers have handily dispensed their competition in the last few rounds — blowing past Kansas in the round of 32 — the Irish have been treading water, relying on one-possession victories. Can Notre Dame's attack heat up again? Or will Wichita State's lockdown D be enough to sink it?

Duke-Utah (Friday): The 5 seed Utes have slowly and steadily been showing college basketball they are not just a good team — they're elite. So why do we keep doubting their advancement? This time around, Utah will need to somehow contain the dynamic Jahlil Okafor in the paint, but otherwise the Utes have a veteran point guard who can go head-to-head with Duke's freshman version: Delon Wright, meet Tyus Jones; Tyus Jones, meet Delon Wright. Add in their top-10 defense, and the Utes have a chance.

Three players who could key upsets

Cat Barber, N.C. State vs. Louisville: The Wolfpack guard is inconsistent, but he's more than capable of providing some sizzle, whether it's his profanity-laced taunts (even at the president of the United States) or his explosive scores at the rim. In the second half of the season, he's taken his game up a level. Another big night for him could equal another big night for N.C. State.

Travis Trice, Michigan State vs. Oklahoma: The Spartans are at their best when Trice is hot, evidenced in their victory over 2 seed Virginia, when he scored 13 of Michigan State's first 15 points and went 7-for-15 from the field. The Spartans have gone 11-0 this season when he hits at least three three-pointers and shoots at least 40 percent from the field. If Trice gets going, his team has a chance to keep the magic flowing.

Jevon Carter, West Virginia vs. Kentucky: He's not the most talked-about Mountaineers guard — that distinction falls to Juwan Staten — but Carter is the key to WVU's smothering full-court press, which just so happens to be its greatest hope about overwhelming favorite Kentucky. Should Carter — who grabbed six steals vs. Maryland — be able to inject chaos among the Wildcats' young backcourt, who knows what could happen.

Injury alert

Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina: The Tar Heels could be in trouble if they are forced to play without their sophomore big man, who sprained his left knee against Arkansas. If he's out, UNC has no hope of limiting Wisconsin big Frank Kaminsky. He did participate in noncontact drills on Wednesday, according to reports.

Rayno's (adjusted) Elite Eight

Wisconsin, Wichita State, Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Oklahoma, Duke and, yep, West Virginia.

Amelia Rayno • 612-673-4115