No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee preview: Game time, broadcast, betting line, prediction

The Minnesota Gophers (24-9) are the No. 5 seed in the South Region, and will take on the No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (30-4). The game will be played at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI on Thursday, March 16.

Preview: Minnesota clinched the No. 5 seed with big wins over Maryland, Michigan State, and Purdue. They are led by junior guard Nate Mason, who averages 15.5 points per game.

Middle Tennessee reached the tournament by defeating Marshall in the C-USA Tournament. They are led by JaCorey Williams, who averages 17.3 points per game. You can check out the entire NCAA Tournament bracket here. You can also see how the committee ranked the teams 1-68 here.

Date: Thursday, March 16

Time: 4:00 p.m. E.T.

TV Channel: TNT

Location: BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI

Announcers: Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli, and Lisa Byington

Opening Betting Line: Minnesota -1, via OddsShark

Minnesota's last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2013. As a No. 11 seed, the Gophers made it to the Second Round, where they lost to No. 3 Florida by a score of 78-64.

Middle Tennessee's last NCAA Tournament appearance was last year. The No. 15 Blue Raiders shocked the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans in the First Round, before losing to No. 10 Syracuse by a score of 75-50.

Prediction: Middle Tennessee shocked the basketball world, and busted quite a few brackets, last year by defeating Michigan State. This year, the Blue Raiders enter as a No. 12 seed and are fully capable of beating Minnesota. They will, and move on to face Butler.

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