We’ve had Selection Sunday and the First Four but here we are now on the cusp of the real action and excitement taking place in the 2015 NCAA March Madness tournament. There were two games taking place on Wednesday the 18th of March and now that we have completed the bracket, things really start to hot up.

Robert Morris 81 – North Florida 77

March Madness 2015 - Robbert Morris Colonials v North Florida OspreysEven though they were trailing by 6 at half-time, Robert Morris never buckled and a strong second half showing ensures that the team is in the field of 64 for the first time since they achieved this back in 2010. The player of the game was Elijah Minnie, the forward from Robert Morris and when you think that he grabbed the only double-double of the game, it makes sense that he was the stand out player. Minnie served up 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping his team to steal away at the end of the game.

Mind you, if North Florida had held on, there would have been a strong argument for making their Beau Beech the player of the game as he grabbed 28 points and offered up an assist and 8 rebounds. It is a performance that the player can be proud of but when you lose at this stage of the major basketball tournament, there is very little that can be said or done to cheer you up.

The major point of the game came with just 9 seconds left on the clock when Kavon Stewart managed to sink two free throws to give Robert Morris a lead of 80-76. The next game for Robert Morris comes on Friday when they take on Duke.

Dayton 56 – Boise State 55

March Madness 2015 - Dayton Flyers v Boise State BroncosThis was a game that went right down to the wire and some will wonder if the first home court advantage in the tournament in 28 years played a part in deciding the outcome of the game. As it is, Dayton match through to the 64 team bracket but it could have been very different if there was a call made with second left on the clock. Derrick Marks made sure that he drew contact from Kyle Davis but there was no signal or whistle from the referee and Marks missed with his shot, ensuring that Dayton made progress.

Kendall Pollard was in fine form with 17 points and 6 rebounds while it was Marks himself who had the game high record of 23 points. When you think that the other four starters for Boise State only totalled 16 points between them, it was quite a performance from the player but he will no doubt look back at the final seconds and be annoyed at the way it panned out. Dayton are next in action on Friday when they take on Providence.

There are six games taking place on Thursday the 19th of March and with the brackets in place, we know how the winning teams will face off against.

  • Kentucky (number 1 seed) v Hampton (number 16 seed)
  • Cincinnati (number 8 seed) v Purdue (number 9 seed)

The winners of these games will meet on Sunday the 21st of March.

  • Butler (number 6 seed) v Texas (number 11 seed)
  • Notre Dame (number 3 seed) v Northeastern (number 14 seed)

The winners of these games will meet on Sunday the 21st of March.

  • Villanova (number 1 seed) v Lafayette (number 16 seed)
  • NC State (number 8 seed) v LSU (number 9 seed)

The winners of these games will meet on Sunday the 21st of March.

With 10 games scheduled for Friday, there is a great deal of March Madness to enjoy even before the weekend so if you are looking to place some March Madness bets, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so.