Is the Sweet 16 what we expected? In many ways, yes. All four No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds remain. UConn and the other top teams have mostly thrashed opponents.

But the surprises? Count No. 10 seed Virginia as the ultimate NCAA Tournament party crashers. No. 6 seed Notre Dame is here for the fifth straight season, but the Irish had to pull off an upset to make it. And though Minnesota was a No. 4 hosting team, the Gophers aren’t a familiar guest at this stage, making it back to the regional for the first time since 2005.

It’s hard to bet against the No. 1 seeds this season, but March Madness can bring the unexpected.

Before the tournament starts up again on Friday, our experts (Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant, Grace Raynor and Cameron Teague Robinson) broke down each Sweet 16 game and predicted the winners.

(All times Eastern)

Fort Worth 1 RegionNo. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN

The high-profile matchups just continue for the Irish. A few days after the game between All-American guards Hannah Hidalgo and Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge, the Irish now meet Vanderbilt star Mikayla Blakes. Though they won’t be guarding one another, getting Blakes, the country’s leading scorer, and Hidalgo, the third-leading scorer, on the same floor will bring massive firepower to Fort Worth. However, this game may come down to the players around the superstar scorers. Hidalgo had 26 points against Ohio State, but four of her teammates finished in double figures.

Vanderbilt’s seventh-ranked scoring offense is more than just Blakes; she has four teammates averaging double figures this season as well.

Whichever team can cause havoc on defense and contain the other team’s supporting cast could be the difference.

Predictions:

Jennings: Vanderbilt
Merchant: Vanderbilt
Raynor: Vanderbilt
Teague Robinson: Notre Dame

No. 1 UConn vs. No. 4 North Carolina, 5 p.m. Friday, ESPN

The Huskies are coming off a dominant second-round win over Syracuse in which they mounted a 53-point halftime lead (the second-largest halftime lead in NCAA Tournament history) before reeling in the defensive pressure and scoring evenly with the Orange in the second half. The Tar Heels played Syracuse once this season, beating the Orange by six in overtime in late January.

As it has throughout its undefeated season, UConn used a bevy of weapons in its rout of Syracuse, but UNC’s defense is no joke. The Tar Heels are the best scoring defense the Huskies have faced this season, based on points per possession, and they’ve held opponents to 37 percent from the floor and 28 percent from beyond the arc. North Carolina hasn’t been tested by an offense as strong as UConn’s, nor has it seen a player as talented as Sarah Strong or a shooter as elite as Azzi Fudd. Sophomores Lanie Grant and Elina Aarnisalo showed up big in the Tar Heels’ win over Maryland, but they need to bring even more if they — and the rest of UNC — want to fare well against the top team in this tournament.

Predictions:

Jennings: UConn
Merchant: UConn
Raynor: UConn
Teague Robinson: UConn

Sacramento 2 RegionNo. 1 UCLA vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN

Only three teams remain from what most metrics regarded as the deepest conference in the country this season, but at least one is guaranteed to get through to the Elite Eight when Big Ten foes UCLA and Minnesota face. The Bruins are rolling, winners of 27 in a row, including an 18-point victory at The Barn in January, the teams’ lone regular-season meeting. The Golden Gophers are also riding their own wave of momentum, coming off Amaya Battle’s buzzer-beating game-winner in the second round to secure their first Sweet 16 berth since 2005.

UCLA has the country’s best offensive rating, and everything runs through Lauren Betts. If Sophie Hart can handle Betts in single coverage, that will give the rest of Minnesota’s perimeter players — who have some size — a chance against the Bruins’ guards. But rather than attempt to stop UCLA, the best course of action might be to try to score with them. The Gophers have an outstanding offense, if not as elite as the Bruins, and create challenges for defenses in the half court. UCLA already had some difficulty containing Oklahoma State’s movement, giving Minnesota a template to work with.

The Golden Gophers are new to this stage and fed off the energy of the home crowd in their first two wins. It will be interesting how they respond against a veteran, battle-tested opponent that has been to the Sweet 16 each of the last three seasons.

Predictions:

Jennings: UCLA
Raynor: UCLA
Merchant: UCLA
Teague Robinson: UCLA

LSU and Duke are familiar opponents, bringing high intensity to this Sweet 16 meeting.

No. 3 Duke vs. No. 2 LSU, 10 p.m. Friday, ESPN

A second consecutive rematch is on the docket, as the Blue Devils and Tigers reprise December’s ACC-SEC Challenge meeting, which LSU won handily despite trailing 14-1 to start. However, Duke switched its starting lineup the next time out, replacing Jadyn Donovan with Riley Nelson, and reeled off 17 wins in a row. As Baylor learned in its 23-point second-round loss, these aren’t your early-season Blue Devils.

Still, Duke is the lower seed for a reason. The Tigers bring more depth into this Sweet 16 matchup, as well as a faster pace, a more potent offense and better rebounding on both ends. They also have the experience of having been to the Elite Eight each of the past two seasons, and Flau’jae Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley both won titles as freshmen. Plus, Kim Mulkey is one of three coaches remaining in the tournament, along with Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley, who have won a championship.

The Blue Devils’ main advantage comes in the clutch. Duke has been excellent in close games, with a net rating of plus-12.4 in crunch time, per CBB Analytics. LSU, meanwhile, has been a bit of a train wreck in clutch situations, getting outscored by 21.3 points per 100 possessions. If the Blue Devils can keep the game close, they’ve been the better team down the stretch.

Predictions:

Merchant: LSU
Raynor: LSU
Jennings: LSU
Teague Robinson: Duke

Sacramento 4 RegionNo. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Oklahoma, 5 p.m. Saturday, ESPN

South Carolina has lost three games all season. It lost twice to Texas and once to Oklahoma, so it is getting its shot to avenge January’s 94-82 overtime loss to the Sooners. In that game, South Carolina struggled mightily, shooting just 37 percent and 23.8 percent from deep.

South Carolina will hope for a better shooting day, especially from second-leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson, who had just six points in the first game. The lights weren’t too bright for standout freshman Aaliyah Chavez then, as she scored 26 points to go with her eight assists. South Carolina must have an answer for Chavez as well as standout forward Raegen Beers.

The star power will be heavy in this game with the Oklahoma duo, along with South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson, Raven Johnson, Joyce Edwards and many more.

Can South Carolina achieve revenge against a non-Texas opponent?

Predictions:

Jennings: South Carolina
Merchant: South Carolina
Raynor: South Carolina
Teague Robinson: South Carolina

No. 3 TCU vs. No. 10 Virginia, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN

What a fun matchup coming down the pipeline in Sacramento. The 10th-seeded Cavaliers have gone from needing a play-in game to get into Round 1 to punching their ticket to the Sweet 16 in less than a week’s time. After beating No. 2 seed Iowa at Iowa in double overtime (after knocking off Georgia in overtime), they’ve shown a level of resilience that can continue to serve them well.

The Cavaliers’ biggest strength is junior guard Kymora Johnson, the Charlottesville native who is averaging 19.5 points per game. But TCU has star guard Olivia Miles, who automatically puts quite the strain on UVA’s defense. The Horned Frogs have the better defense; Virginia has the better rebounders. This one could come down to who takes over more between Johnson and Miles.

Predictions:

Jennings: TCU
Merchant: Virginia
Raynor: TCU
Teague Robinson: TCU

Fort Worth 3 RegionNo. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Kentucky, 3 p.m. Saturday, ABC

These two teams met in early February with the Longhorns’ defense doing Longhorns’ defense things — forcing 23 turnovers and tallying 11 steals as point guard Tonie Morgan and forward Teonni Key turned the ball over six times apiece. Since then, Texas’ defense has only locked in more (that UK meeting was one game before Texas’ loss to Vanderbilt, which ultimately galvanized the Longhorns). That has come with devastating consequences for all Texas opponents — since that loss, Texas’ defense has held opponents to 57 points per game.

Even in that loss, Kentucky showed that despite ball control issues, it could still dig deep and put up a fight against the Longhorns. After trailing by 14 midway through the third quarter, Kentucky cut Texas’ lead to one point with just more than six minutes to go in the game. Plus, the Wildcats faced West Virginia — nicknamed “Stress Virginia” for its full court defensive pressure — in the second round, and beat the Mountaineers on their home court and turned over the ball 17 times. If there were any kind of a possible tuneup for facing defensive pressure like Texas again, West Virginia could be it.

Predictions:

Jennings: Texas
Merchant: Texas
Raynor: Texas
Teague Robinson: Texas

Michigan’s guards will have to withstand Louisville’s proven defense to advance. (Jaime Crawford / Getty Images)

No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Louisville, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC

Michigan has the better offense, but Louisville has the better defense. The Wolverines have arguably the best player on the floor in Olivia Olson but are making just their third Sweet 16 appearance in school history, while Louisville’s Jeff Walz is making his 13th with the Cardinals. It will be up to Louisville to limit an explosive Michigan offense that scored 83 points against Holy Cross in the first round and 92 points against NC State in the second round. It will be the job of the Wolverines to limit Louisville, which enters the Sweet 16 confident after holding off Alabama on Monday.

Predictions:

Jennings: Michigan
Merchant: Louisville
Raynor: Louisville
Teague Robinson: Louisville