MILWAUKEE — No. 5 seed Minnesota (24-9) vs. No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee (30-4)

First round, South region; Milwaukee; 4 p.m. Thursday EDT.

Bottom line

Middle Tennessee has its sights set on taking down another Big Ten team after upsetting Michigan State in the first round last year as a No. 15 seed. Minnesota is in the NCAAs for the first time since 2013, completing a remarkable one-year turnaround after going 8-23 last year.

Block party

Minnesota big man Reggie Lynch is the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year after blocking a school-record 111 shots. The 6-foot-10 Lynch is second in the NCAAs with 3.5 blocks per game.

Raiders restock

Giddy Potts (15.8 points) and Reggie Upshaw (14.5 points) are returning starters from the Conference USA squad that upset the Spartans, but 6-foot-8 forward JaCorey Williams led the team in scoring (16.8 points) and rebounding (7.3 rebounds) this year The transfer from Arkansas, who sat out last season as a redshirt, brings the experience of having played in the more competitive Southeastern Conference.

Stat lines

While Middle Tennessee set a single-season school record for wins, Minnesota’s 16-game swing from 2015-16 was the biggest single-season turnaround in the country.