NCAA Tournament Recap: McNeese Upsets Clemson in Midwest Region
McNeese pulled off the first major upset of the NCAA Tournament, defeating fifth-seeded Clemson 69-67 in the first round of the Midwest Region. Brandon Murray led the 12th-seeded Cowboys with 21 points off the bench, while Quadir Copeland contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. McNeese built a 24-point lead early in the second half, fueled by a 15-0 advantage in points off turnovers and dominance in the paint. Despite a late push from Clemson’s Jaeden Zackery (24 points) and Chase Hunter (21 points), McNeese held on to advance and will face No. 4 Purdue in the second round.
In other Midwest Region action, No. 1 Houston cruised past No. 16 SIU Edwardsville 78-40, with Milos Uzan scoring 16 points and L.J. Cryer adding 15. No. 2 Tennessee also advanced, defeating No. 15 Wofford 77-62 behind Chaz Lanier’s 29-point performance. Meanwhile, No. 4 Purdue secured a 75-63 win over No. 13 High Point, led by Trey Kaufman-Renn’s 21 points. No. 7 UCLA dominated No. 10 Utah State 72-47, setting up a second-round matchup with Tennessee. No. 8 Gonzaga overwhelmed No. 9 Georgia with a fast start, winning 89-68 to move on to face Houston.
In the West Region, No. 2 St. John’s secured its first tournament win since 2000 by defeating No. 15 Omaha 85-53. The Red Storm, led by RJ Luis Jr.’s 22 points, will take on No. 10 Arkansas in the second round after the Razorbacks eliminated No. 7 Kansas 79-72. No. 11 Drake also pulled off an upset, beating No. 6 Missouri 67-57, while No. 3 Texas Tech handled No. 14 UNC Wilmington 82-72.
The South Region saw top-seeded Auburn ease past No. 16 Alabama State 83-63, with Miles Kelly scoring 23 points. No. 4 Texas A&M held off No. 13 Yale 80-71, and No. 5 Michigan edged No. 12 UC San Diego 68-65 after a clutch three-pointer by Tre Donaldson in the final minutes. In another upset, No. 9 Creighton took down No. 8 Louisville 89-75, led by Jamiya Neal’s career-high 29 points.
In the East Region, No. 3 Wisconsin dominated No. 14 Montana 85-66 behind John Blackwell’s 19 points, while No. 6 BYU defeated No. 11 VCU 80-71 with a balanced scoring effort. The second round will now feature key matchups, as teams continue their pursuit of a deep tournament run.
