Maybe it was the aura of Amir Khan on the sideline, the McNeese cheerleaders repping socks with his face on them, or just Will Wade pulling a rabbit out of his March Madness hat. Whatever it was, the first true agent of chaos in the 2025 NCAA Tournament has arrived—Cinderella, but lacing up in steel-toed boots.
McNeese, a 12-seed with nothing to lose, stormed into battle and sent 5-seed Clemson packing with a stunning 69-67 upset. Brackets shattered. Disbelief filled the air. And for millions of fans, the madness just got deeply personal.
As CBS Sports put it on X, “MCNEESE SHATTERS BRACKETS AND DREAMS WITH AN UPSET OVER CLEMSON. 1.4M perfect brackets left out of 24M.” Translation? 22.6 million people just watched their brackets go up in flames—torched by the Cowboys.
MCNEESE SHATTERS BRACKETS AND DREAMS WITH AN UPSET OVER CLEMSON
1.4M perfect brackets left out of 24M pic.twitter.com/slo66mWz5B
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 20, 2025
Nobody had McNeese in their script—because, by all accounts, they weren’t supposed to be here. According to KenPom, they had a 114.3 ORtg (63rd), a 100.5 DRtg (65th), and a strength of schedule ranked a laughable 204th. That’s not the DNA of a bracket-buster—it’s the profile of a team that’s supposed to bow out quietly.
Clemson, on the other hand? A well-oiled machine. A 118.7 ORtg (24th), a suffocating 94.9 DRtg (16th), and a battle-tested schedule ranked 68th. By the numbers, this wasn’t just a mismatch—it was a formality.
But March doesn’t read analytics. It rewrites them.
Will Wade and his squad are moving on in March Madness after the Cowboys suffocated the Tigers Clemson in the first half and held off a furious comeback in the second. Brandon Murray was electric, scoring 14 of his 21 points in a suffocating first half that saw McNeese hold Clemson to just 13 points. The Cowboys built a lead as large as 24 before the Tigers clawed back. Jaeden Zackery’s late-game heroics—a flurry of three-pointers in the final minute—kept Clemson in it, but they simply ran out of time.
With the win, McNeese secured its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, earning a second-round matchup against fourth-seeded Purdue. The Cowboys entered as 7.5-point underdogs, but that didn’t matter. They held Clemson to just one made basket over almost eight minutes during a 17-2 first-half run, turning a tie game into a 23-8 lead. McNeese’s defense strangled Clemson’s offense, forcing the Tigers into a miserable 1-for-15 shooting performance from beyond the arc in the first half.
For Clemson, it was a nightmare that played out in slow motion. Zackery finished with 24 points, Chase Hunter had 21, and Viktor Lakhin grabbed 10 rebounds, but their early struggles buried them. The Tigers became just the second team seeded fifth or better in NCAA history to be held to 13 or fewer points in the first half since the shot clock era began in 1986.
McNeese’s resilience was on full display in the final minute. With 70 seconds left, Javohn Garcia blocked Zackery twice on the same shot before Christian Shumate streaked down the court for a reverse dunk, extending the Cowboys’ lead to 12. But Clemson refused to go quietly. Zackery drilled back-to-back threes, Jake Heidbreder added another, and suddenly it was a three-point game. Missed free throws from McNeese—six in the final six minutes—gave Clemson a chance, but time expired as Hunter scored a meaningless basket at the buzzer.
The Cowboys had survived. The upset was sealed. And at the center of it all? Will Wade, the architect of McNeese’s improbable rise. His redemption arc continues.
Will Wade’s redemption: From scandal to March Madness star—But is he leaving?
Once booted from LSU amid a recruiting scandal, Wade took a year off, only to return to Louisiana and turn McNeese into a powerhouse. In just two seasons, he’s led the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and boasts a staggering 86% win percentage (49-8), making him one of the hottest coaching commodities in college basketball.
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round Practice Mar 19, 2025 Providence, RI, USA McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade answers questions during the first round practice session press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Providence Amica Mutual Pavilion RI USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGregoryxFisherx 20250319_jla_fb5_075
But as McNeese stuns the nation, Wade’s next move may already be in motion.
Before his squad’s jaw-dropping victory over Clemson, Wade confirmed he had spoken with NC State about its coaching vacancy. Hours later, reports surfaced that he had already agreed to take the job, per OG Media’s Joe Giglio and ESPN’s Jeff Borzello—though no contract had been finalized.
“I’ve always been like that,” Wade admitted, via The News & Observer. “There’s no need to hide it. The guys see it on social media. It’s no secret.”
If Wade does bolt for the Wolfpack, he’ll be replacing Kevin Keatts, who was fired after a brutal 13-19 season—just one year removed from leading NC State to the Final Four.
But for now, Wade remains locked in on McNeese.
The Cowboys aren’t just a Cinderella—they’re the ones crashing the ball and setting the castle on fire. Their next battle? A date with Purdue. The odds say they don’t stand a chance. The numbers say this shouldn’t be happening.
But March doesn’t listen to logic. It listens to stories. And McNeese is busy writing one for the ages.
The madness is just getting started.
The post Shockwaves Rip Through 22.6 Million NCAA Fans as Will Wade’s McNeese Stuns Clemson in Thrilling March Madness Upset appeared first on EssentiallySports.
