Anyone need a kidney? I'm ready to sell one to afford tickets to these games.

March 11 was what is known in the college basketball world as "Selection Sunday" where 68 college basketball programs punch their ticket to the "Big Dance," aka the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament.  It's also the day that I went on a killer 20 mile training run for the Lake Lowell Marathon and fell asleep in an epsom salt bath during the actual selection show. Cue my fiance running through the bathroom door, waking me up by yelling about both Gonzaga and Ohio State are coming to Boise.

Boise State might not have made the tournament this year, but March Madness will be in full effect at Taco Bell Arena as they host Rounds 1 & 2 on Thursday, March 15 and Saturday, March 17.  Some of the most elite teams in college basketball, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Kentucky and Arizona, will travel to the Treasure Valley.

Here's a rundown of the match-ups:

NCAA Tournament Session 1, West Region - Thursday, March 15

  • #4 Gonzaga (30-4) vs #13 UNC-Greensboro (27-7) | 11:30 a.m. (Broadcast on TNT)
  • #5 Ohio State (24-8) vs #12 South Dakota State (28-6) | 2 p.m. (Broadcast on TNT)

NCAA Tournament Session 2, South Region - Thursday, March 15

  • #5 Kentucky (24-10) vs #12 Davidson (21-11) | 5:10 p.m. (Broadcast on CBS)
  • #4 Arizona (27-7) vs #13 Buffalo (26-8)  | 7:40 p.m. (Broadcast on CBS)

NCAA Tournament Session 3 - Saturday, March 17

  • Teams TBD
  • Game times TBD
  • Broadcast Network TBD

How do I get tickets?

Xavier v Gonzaga
Credit: Sean Haffey, Getty Images
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Last week, I called over to the BSU Athletic Ticket Office to see if you'd be able to buy tickets through them for the tournament.  Unfortunately, their allotment of tickets is already gone.  Season ticket holders were able to buy theirs last March, while the general public cleared out that allotment during a November pre-sale.  There's a very, very small chance that if the schools playing in Boise don't sell their allotment, that our own athletic office might get some more tickets to sell locally.

Ohio State v Purdue
Michael Hickey, Getty Images
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When I asked for the name of a place to buy tickets from, they referred me to PrimeSport who's the handling the official NCAA Ticket Exchange.  Unfortunately, with Gonzaga being based just a hop, skip and a jump from the Treasure Valley there were no tickets available for just for Session 1 through PrimeSport as of 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning. (Ugh! With the exception of Boise State, Ohio State is my favorite college basketball team. Why oh why do they have to be in the same region as Gonzaga?!)

If you are buying from a third-party reseller, check out these tips to avoid being scammed!

So...about Boise State...

Northwest v Boise State
Loren Orr, Getty Images
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Thursday's loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament is what burst the Broncos' March Madness bubble.  It was totally heartbreaking after one of the most exciting seasons in Boise State history.

They have been invited to play in the NIT Tournament.  As a #4 season, they'll face the #7 Washington Huskies this week.

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