PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Every March has a Cinderella, and on the first day of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, No. 12 seed McNeese completed an emphatic opening audition to become this tournament’s lasting underdog story.
The two-time defending Southland Conference champions were the lowest seed to win on Thursday, dominating the first half against No. 5 seed Clemson and holding on for the two-point win.
With the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in the bag, McNeese attempts to knock out No. 4 seed Purdue on Saturday with a ticket to the Sweet 16 and Midwest Regional on the line.
“We have broken every record in the book. This was the last one to get,” McNeese coach Will Wade said. “We want to keep this going.”
After losing to Gonzaga in the 2024 tournament, Thursday marked the first tournament win and first-ever win against a ranked opponent for the Lake Charles, La., program. Wade, who recently accepted the NC State job, has led the Cowboys (28-6) to 12 straight wins and victories in 23 of their last 24 games since mid-December.
McNeese pulled out a 2-3 zone for the first time all season in its first-round game, limiting Clemson — Wade’s alma mater — to 20.8 percent shooting in the first half and holding late for a 69-67 victory.
“We put it in for some stuff in the conference tournament and never used it,” Wade said. “We thought this would be a good time to pull it out so our guys did a great job. We hit our benchmarks.”
Brandon Murray scored 14 of his team-leading 21 points against Clemson before halftime. The senior who has played at four different schools entered the game needing just three points to reach the 1,000 mark and finished with his 10th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
Purdue (23-11) lost in the national championship game to end last year’s tournament and has been to 10 straight tournaments — the fifth-longest running streak in the country. The Boilermakers kicked off their latest run with a 75-63 win over High Point on Thursday.
The Boilermakers’ stars were just that in the first round. Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American Braden Smith and Big Ten first-teamer Trey Kaufmann-Renn combined for 41 points leading a 45.9 percent shooting effort that included 19 offensive rebounds.
“Anytime you play somebody that wins their league and tournament and is on a 14-game winning streak, you know they’re going to have a high competitive spirit,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I thought our ability to rebound … probably ends up being the difference.”
The Boilermakers’ tournament experience is handy when it comes to making a quick turnaround to the second round. They know what to expect.
Smith and Kaufmann-Renn, both juniors, have helped Purdue go 8-3 in the Big Dance during their careers and were looking to bring Painter to his eighth Sweet 16 in 16 total tournament appearances.
“A lot of times you get to feel it and you don’t move on, right?” Painter said. “When you’re able to move on from one game, you hope to use those experiences in the past, but I think this is really good to help them get to that next game and feel comfortable.”
Smith is only the second player in NCAA history to record 500 points, 275 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season, achieving that mark with the first of his two steals on Thursday.
