McNeese coach Will Wade and his boombox-toting manager gave March Madness its first bracket buster.
The 12th-seeded Cowboys used a stifling first half to open a 24-point lead, and then held off late-charging No 5 seed Clemson for the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory, a 69-67 win in the opening round of the East Region on Thursday.
“We have broken every record in the book,” said Wade, who led the school to its first back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament and now its first victory. “This was the last one to get. We want to keep this going. We want to keep this going.”
McNeese earned a matchup on Saturday with fourth-seeded Purdue, a 75-63 winner over High Point earlier in Providence.
“If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers.”@McNeeseMBB‘s Amir “AURA” Khan is ready for March Madness pic.twitter.com/1bCTeNaJ0e
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2025
Brandon Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half, when the Southland Conference school from Lake Charles, Louisiana, held Clemson to 13 points. After falling behind by as many as 24 in the second, the Tigers rallied, erasing most of a 12-point deficit in the final minute before running out of time.
“We went out there and took the first punch and they didn’t know how to react to that, honestly,” Murray said. “Coach tells us to be ourselves, play with swag. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Chris Shumate added 13 points and 11 rebounds for McNeese, who has been best-known this March for its viral, rapping manager and a renegade coach who has reportedly already lined up his next job – at NC State.
The Wolfpack will have to wait at least another 48 hours, because Wade is still needed in Providence.
No 1 Houston 78, No 16 SIU Edwardsville 40
Milos Uzan scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half to help the top-seeded Cougars cruise by the SIUE Cougars in Midwest Region first-round play in Wichita, Kansas.
LJ Cryer scored all 15 points in the first half and Ja’Vier Francis had 13 points and eight rebounds as Houston (31-4) won its 14th straight game on the way to a second-round matchup with No 8 Gonzaga on Saturday.
SIU Edwardsville star Ray’Sean Taylor scored 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting. Taylor finished his career with a school-record 1,962 points. His cousin, Brian Taylor, also had 10 points for Edwardsville, who qualified for its first NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the Ohio Valley Conference postseason tournament.
No 2 Tennessee 77, No 15 Wofford 62
Chaz Lanier put up 29 points, Zakai Zeigler added 12 points and 12 assists and the Volunteers advanced to the second round of the Midwest Region with a win over the Terriers in Lexington, Kentucky.
Jahmai Mashack had nine points and seven rebounds for Tennessee (28-7), who will face No 7 UCLA in the second round on Saturday.
Jackson Sivills had 15 points and five boards for Wofford (19-16), Corey Tripp scored 14 points and Jeremy Lorenz finished with 12.
No 4 Purdue 75, No 13 High Point 63
Trey Kaufman-Renn poured in 21 points, Braden Smith added 20 with six assists and the Boilermakers gritted out a victory over the Panthers in the first round in Providence, Rhode Island.
Kaufman-Renn shot 10-for-16 and had eight rebounds to guide Purdue (23-11). Camden Heide added an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double for Purdue, who will face No 12 McNeese in the second round of the Midwest Region on Saturday.
D’Maurian Williams scored 12 points and Trae Benham added 11 to pace High Point (29-6). The Big South champion entered its first NCAA Tournament in program history on a 14-game winning streak.
No 7 UCLA 72, No 10 Utah State 47
Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr scored 14 points apiece to lead the Bruins to an easy win over the Aggies in a Midwest Region contest.
Clark led a sharp-shooting display by the Bruins (23-10), who were 10-for-24 from three-point range and advanced to face No 2 Tennessee in the second round on Saturday.
Mason Falslev led the Aggies (26-8) with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Deyton Albury added 12 points and seven boards.
No 8 Gonzaga 89, No 9 Georgia 68
The Bulldogs raced out to a 27-3 lead out of the gate and coasted to a first-round win over Georgia in the Midwest Region in Wichita, Kansas.
Khalif Battle had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead Gonzaga (26-8), who will play No 1 Houston on Saturday. Braden Huff added 18 points and eight boards for the Bulldogs, who won their 16th straight first-round game. Nolan Hickman chipped in with 18 points.
Georgia (20-13) was led by Asa Newell’s 20 points and eight rebounds, while Silas Demary Jr. contributed 15 points. Blue Cain and Somto Cyril finished with 10 points apiece.
No 2 St. John’s 85, No 15 Omaha 53
RJ Luis Jr made a career-high five three-pointers and the Red Storm found their shooting stroke en route to a victory over Omaha in Providence.
St. John’s (31-4) earned their first tournament win since 2000. Coach Rick Pitino and the Big East champs will face John Calipari and No 10 seed Arkansas in the second round Saturday. Luis led all scorers with 22 points and added eight rebounds. Simeon Wilcher scored 13 points for the Red Storm. Kadary Richmond had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Zuby Ejiofor added 10 points, seven boards, four assists and three blocks.
JJ White posted 15 points and five assists to lead Omaha (22-13), who were playing in their first NCAA Tournament after claiming the Summit League championship.
No 11 Drake 67, No 6 Missouri 57
Bennett Stirtz had 21 points and four assists as the Bulldogs upset the Tigers in Wichita.
Tavion Banks added 15 points for the Bulldogs (31-3), who will face No 3 Texas Tech on Saturday. After Missouri trimmed the deficit to 52-51 with 4:28 to play, Stirtz hit a jumper and Cam Manyawu scored inside to keep Missouri at bay. Banks then threw down a transition dunk with 58 seconds left to ice the game.
Caleb Grill scored 14 points and Tamar Bates added 10 for the Tigers (22-12).
No 10 Arkansas 79, No 7 Kansas 72
Jonas Aidoo scored a game-high 22 points and the Razorbacks canned eight straight foul shots in the final minute to clinch a win over the Jayhawks in Providence.
Johnell Davis added 18 points, including two free throws with 10.4 seconds left for a 77-72 advantage. DJ Wagner scored 14 points and dished out six assists, while Trevor Brazile chipped in an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Razorbacks (21-13) advance to a second-round matchup on Saturday against St John’s.
Zeke Mayo scored 18 points to lead Kansas (21-13), while AJ Storr came off the bench to add 15. KJ Adams hit for 13 points and Hunter Dickinson contributed 11.
No 3 Texas Tech 82, No 14 UNC Wilmington 72
Kerwin Walton established career bests of 27 points and eight 3-pointers to lead the Red Raiders past the Seahawks in West Region first-round play in Denver.
Elijah Hawkins added 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Texas Tech (26-8), who will face No 11 Drake in Saturday’s second round. Darrion Williams had 13 points and nine boards, and JT Toppin added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Nolan Hodge has 18 points and seven rebounds for UNC Wilmington (27-8), who are 1-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Bo Montgomery added 10 points for the Seahawks.
No 1 Auburn 83, No 16 Alabama State 63
Miles Kelly posted a game-high 23 points, hitting 7 of 15 three-pointers, as the Tigers cruised to a first-round win over the Hornets in the South Region in Lexington.
Johni Broome recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds for Auburn (29-5), who will face No 9 Creighton in Saturday’s second round. Tahaad Pettiford finished with 16 points for the Tigers.
Amarr Knox led Alabama State (20-16) with 18 points, while TJ Madlock contributed 11. CJ Hines contributed nine points for the Hornets.
No 4 Texas A&M 80, No 13 Yale 71
Pharrel Payne tallied a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Wade Taylor IV had 16 points, and the Aggies beat the Bulldogs in Denver.
Jace Carter added 10 points for the Aggies (23-10), who will face No 5 Michigan in the second round on Saturday night.
John Poulakidas scored 23 points, Nick Townsend had 15, Isaac Celiscar finished with 12 points and Casey Simmons contributed 11 points for the Bulldogs (22-8).
No 5 Michigan 68, No 12 UC San Diego 65
Tre Donaldson hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 2:13 left, and the Wolverines weathered a second-half comeback by the Tritons in Denver.
Donaldson finished with 12 points, Vladislav Goldin had 14 points, Roddy Gayle Jr. contributed 11 and Danny Wolf grabbed 11 rebounds for the Wolverines (26-9), who play No 4 Texas A&M on Saturday.
Tyler McGhie scored a game-high 25 points, Nordin Kapic added 15 and Hayden Gray finished with 10 for UC San Diego (30-5).
No 9 Creighton 89, No 8 Louisville 75
Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 29 points while posting 12 boards and six assists to lead the Bluejays to an upset victory over the Cardinals in South Region play in Lexington.
Steven Ashworth produced 22 points, five rebounds and five assists; Ryan Kalbrenner added 14 points and Jackson McAndrew had 11 for Creighton, who will face No 1 Auburn in the second round on Saturday.
Louisville was led by Chucky Hepburn (22 points), Terrence Edwards Jr (21) and J’Vonne Hadley (13).
No 3 Wisconsin 85, No 14 Montana 66
John Blackwell scored 19 points, Steven Crowl had 18 and John Tonje chipped in 15 as the Badgers cruised past the Grizzlies in East Region action in Denver.
Leading Wisconsin in the loss, Te’Jon Sawyer posted a 15-point, eight-rebound effort, Kai Johnson added 15 points (hitting 4 of 7 shots from beyond the arc) and Joe Pridgen had 12 points.
Wisconsin outrebounded Montana 38-24 while making 55.4% of its shots. They led 40-32 after the first half and pulled away after the break. The Badgers will play sixth-seeded BYU in the second round on Saturday.
No 6 BYU 80, No 11 VCU 71
Richie Saunders had 16 points and Egor Demin poured in 15 to lead the Cougars to an East Region win over the Rams in Denver.
Fousseyni Traore had 13 points for BYU (25-9), who will face No 3 Wisconsin in the second round on Saturday. Keba Keita finished with nine points and nine rebounds for the Cougars.
Zeb Jackson posted a season-best 23 points to lead VCU (28-7), while Jack Clark, Joe Bamisile and Max Shulga totaled 12 points apiece.