McNeese State basketball is the first mid-major to shake up the 2025 March Madness games. The Cowboys turned to a relentless transition attack then fiery defense to hold off Clemson 69-67.
McNeese State first entered the contest as a massive 7.5-point underdog. Meanwhile, Clemson got predicted to face Houston in a dream Sweet 16 battle. But as ESPN Sportscenter noted, the brackets have gotten shredded — with “1.4 million perfect brackets left out of 24 million.”
The Lake Charles, Louisiana university also delivers school history. This is the first NCAA Tournament win for the 53-year-old program.
UPSET ALERT
No. 12 McNeese makes school history and wins their first-ever NCAA Tournament game in an upset win over No. 5 Clemson
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 20, 2025
McNeese State rises as the new mid-major, underdog program to watch after toppling the favored Tigers. And sparked multiple online reactions afterward.
Fans react to McNeese State March Madness upset of Clemson
National media joined in sounding off on the upset. That included media members who admitted they underestimated the Cowboys — a la Colin Cowherd.
“I like to keep it real with my audience. I did not have McNeese State beating Clemson,” the Fox Sports radio personality admitted on X.
Brett Kollman of “The Film Room” on YouTube also chimed in, calling it a great moment for McNeese State.
“Good for McNeese State man, this is so cool,” Kollman shared on X.
Meanwhile, cameras captured a jubilant head coach in Will Wade.
Will Wade is hyped!
McNeese State holds on to beat Clemson and wins its first NCAA Tournament game in school history. pic.twitter.com/dE0mjqLokY
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) March 20, 2025
Wade, however, made pregame headlines for reportedly accepting the open North Carolina State job on Wednesday. College basketball insider John Fanta from The Field of 68 joked McNeese State players approached this game like a tryout for the Wolf Pack. But Wade wasn’t the only headline grabber from the Southland Conference champs.
McNeese State first grabbed headlines through its famed student manager. Amir Khan became a beloved non-player celebrity ahead of the tourney. Khan hypes the players up with a blaring boom box before games. Now Myron Medcalf of ESPN believes his fame will only rise from here.
“That McNeese State dude with the boombox is gonna be in a Future music video before it’s all said and done,” Medcalf posted on X.
The Wade era of Cowboys basketball continues into Saturday. McNeese State now gets Purdue in the second round.
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