No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee Preview
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee
When: Thursday, March 16, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Golden Gophers (+1) vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (-1); total: 136.0 – view all NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: Turner Network Television
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Betting on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (+1)
Minnesota big man Reggie Lynch swats away most shots he sees his opponents take at the rim. He’ll look to help the Golden Gophers reject Middle Tennessee’s bid for an upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Lynch is the personification of the Gophers’ tenacious defense, one that gives up just 69.1 PPG and limits opponents to only 39.8% from the field. Lynch defends as if the quality of his fro depends on it, as he averages 3.5 blocks per game. He had a four game stretch prior to the national tournament in which he recorded 27 blocks, including 11 in a win over Penn State in late February. Overall, Minnesota is No. 1 in the nation in blocks with 6.8 per game.
The offense will be taken care mostly of four Golden Gophers averaging in double figures in scoring. Nate Mason leads the crew with 15.5 PPG. Mason had 23 points with six boards and four dimes in Minnesota’s 84-77 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten semifinals.
Middle Tennessee plays a defense that is nothing to shrug off, but it’s safe to say that the Golden Gophers are a much stronger team than what the Blue Raiders were used to play against in the C-USA.
Minnesota is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games.
Betting on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (-1)
Middle Tennessee is coming into this game as the 12th seed yet the Blue Raiders are underdogs by just a point. That’s equivalent to the whole Blue Raiders’ team taking the streets with placards printed with “watch out, an upset is gonna happen in Milwaukee.”
They did it just last year when they took down Michigan State in the first round as a 15th seed. And now, the Blue Raiders look repeat history against Minnesota. In a way, the Blue Raiders are like Minnesota, as they also play solid defense, surrendering just 63.3 PPG. However, they do it by putting the game in ultra-slow motion. Middle Tennessee’s adjusted tempo is 315th in the nation with a rating of 63.9. The Blue Raiders could throw off Minnesota’s rhythm and force plenty of turnovers with that type of play. Their opponents average 13.4 turnovers per game.
With four upperclassmen on its starting lineup, the Blue Raiders won’t have much problem dealing with the bright lights of March Madness. Reggie Upshaw and Giddy Potts are holdovers from last season’s upset win over the Spartans. They contribute 15.8 PPG and 14.5 PPG, respectively. JaCorey Williams, meanwhile, tops the team with 17.3 PPG.
Middle Tennessee is 5-1 ATS in its last six games as an underdog.
Writer’s Prediction
Minnesota (+1) wins, 78-76.
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