2017 NCAA Tournament, Arizona vs. North Dakota: Game time, TV channel, how to watch online

Head coach Sean Miller of the Arizona Wildcats and players on the bench react to an official's call during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 92-78.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Posted 2 years ago

The 2017 NCAA Tournament officially begins for all teams Thursday, March 16 in basketball arenas across the country. In the West bracket, No. 2 Arizona will played its first tournament game against No. 15 North Dakota at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The winner of the game between the Wildcats and Fighting Hawks will earn the right to play the winner of No. 7 St. Mary’s against No. 10 VCU. Their game will take place on the same court immediately before the Wildcats-Fighting Hawks matchup. The winners will face each other on Saturday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.

Here’s all the information you’ll need for the Arizona vs. North Dakota game:

2017 NCAA Tournament Arizona vs. North Dakota game time, details

Time: 9:50 p.m. ET (approximately)

Date: Thursday, March 16

Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena; Salt Lake City, Utah

What TV channel is the 2017 NCAA Tournament Arizona vs. North Dakota game on?

TBS is televising the game.

How can I watch the 2017 NCAA Tournament Arizona vs. North Dakota game online?

NCAA.com will broadcast all games for free online. Click here to watch.

How can I listen to the 2017 NCAA Tournament Arizona vs. North Dakota game?

The game will be broadcast by Westwood One Sports, with Kevin Kugler and Dan Dickau on the call. You can find information on radio stations and streaming options here.

Who is calling the 2017 NCAA Tournament Arizona vs. North Dakota game on television?

Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli and Lisa Byington will call the game for TBS.

2017 NCAA Tournament Arizona vs. North Dakota game preview

Arizona will begin its bid for the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2001 against the champions from the Big Sky.

Of course, the Wildcats were conference champions too. Arizona earned a share of the Pac-12 regular season title with a 16-2 mark and then beat Oregon, the team in which they shared the regular-season crown with, 83-80 in the Pac-12 championship.

Arizona overcame injuries and suspensions to post a 30-4 mark, the school’s best record since 2015. Under Sean Miller, the Wildcats have won 30 games in four different seasons, but in each of the previous three, they fell in the Elite Eight. The goal of this team will most certainly be to get over that hump and to at least the Final Four.

Sophomore guard Allonzo Trier leads the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. He also chips in 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per night. Freshman forward Lauri Markkanen is second in scoring with 15.6 points and leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 boards per contest.

The Fighting Hawks started the season only 12-8, but they got hot in overtime of a game against Northern Colorado on Feb. 4 and never looked back. North Dakota State won that overtime game by 10 points, which started a six-game winning streak. The Fighting Hawks have won 10 of their last 11 with three of those victories have come in overtime, including the Big Sky championship against Weber State.

North Dakota senior guard Quinton Hooker will be the best shooter on the court. He shot 43.6 percent from the 3-point line and averaged 19.1 points per game this season. As a team, the Fighting Hawks shoot 48.3 percent overall, including 38.7 percent from behind the arc.