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March Madness gets underway this week, but there are some big games before the round of 64 kicks off on Thursday.
The First Four, which are essentially play-in games, start Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. Eight teams will be vying for four spots in the field of 64. The second First Four matchup is on Tuesday night between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Pittsburgh Panthers. The winner of that matchup gets a date with 6-seed Iowa State in Greensboro, North Carolina on Friday.
Here’s all the information you’ll need to know to tune into the late-night tipoff.
2023 March Madness: No. 11 Pittsburgh vs. No. 11 Mississippi State
Date: Tuesday, March 14
Start time: 9:10 p.m. EST
TV channel: truTV
Live stream: March Madness Live app
Mississippi State is a 2-point favorite and the point total is set at 132.5, according to DraftKings SportsBook. The SEC has been a much stronger league than the ACC has been this season, so it makes sense why they’re getting the favorites treatment. Still, these two teams are quite close, with Pitt finishing the season with a 22-11 record while the Bulldogs wrapped up the campaign with a 21-12 record.