default-cbs-image

Download the CBS Sports App today and get instant tournament news and alerts, plus play Brackets!

No. 5 seed Minnesota will play No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Here are some things to keep in mind about each team.

Viewing information

When: Thursday, March 16, 4:00 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live stream: Click Here

CBS All-Access: Click Here

What to know about each team:

MTSU: The Blue Raiders made the NCAA Tournament by winning C-USA’s automatic bid. But they might’ve been at-large worthy thanks to a resume featuring wins over Vanderbilt, UNC-Wilmington, Ole Miss and Belmont. Middle Tennessee is 30-4 with only one loss since Christmas. Kermit Davis is the coach -- he guided the Blue Raiders to an upset of Michigan State in last year’s NCAA Tournament. 

Minnesota: One of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball took place in Minneapolis. Richard Pitino guided his team to a top-four finish in the Big Ten. The Gophers are worthy of their seed. They don’t have a star, but Nate Mason is the guy who should have the ball in his hands if the game is on the line. Like his dad, Pitino coaches aggressive defense with a variety of looks. 

MML is available on iPhone, iPad, watchOS, tvOS, Android handsets, Android Tablets, Chromecast, Amazon Tablets, Alexa skill for Amazon devices, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Windows 10 devices, Xbox and NCAA.com. 

  • ALL games are available through March Madness Live (“MML”)
  • CBS games on MML are free to view - no authentication required- however CBS games are not available through OTT devices on MML
  • Turner games on MML have a free preview (3 hours) before consumers are required to authenticate (register) using their cable provider credentials (login and password)


CBS All Access requires a paid subscription and is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android devices, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, PS4, Windows 10 devices and Xbox.

  • Only tournament games airing on CBS’s broadcast are available on CBS All Access, including the Final Four and National Championship games.