Notre Dame and Wichita State each won rare matchups with in-state rivals in the round of 32, but the stakes will be higher when they square off Thursday in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional semifinal in Cleveland. The third-seeded Fighting Irish narrowly avoided upsets in their first two games and won't have much margin for error against the No. 7 seed Shockers. Wichita State already has pulled off one upset, knocking off No. 2 Kansas to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.

Wisconsin traditionally has been known for its defense under coach Bo Ryan, but this year's crop of Badgers is equally as adept on the offensive end. The Badgers have scored at least 70 points in seven straight games and likely will need another strong offensive effort Thursday when they square off against North Carolina in Los Angeles in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The top-seeded Badgers are two wins away from returning to the Final Four..

Kentucky is four wins away from a perfect season and is about to take on its toughest defensive test in the Sweet 16. The top-seeded Wildcats will try to match the intensity when they face No. 5 seed West Virginia in Cleveland on Thursday in the Midwest regional semifinal. The Mountaineers beat up Maryland in the third round to advance and will put Kentucky’s depth to the test with their full-court pressure.

Second-seeded Arizona is in the Sweet 16 for the third straight season and will face sixth-seeded Xavier in Thursday’s contest in Los Angeles. The Wildcats bring a 13-game winning streak into the contest as coach Sean Miller stands two victories away from reaching the Final Four for the first time. The Musketeers have won five of the last six games and are in the Sweet 16 for the third time in six seasons under coach Chris Mack.