Will Wade, No. 12 McNeese State Thrill Fans in Upset of No. 5 Clemson in March Madness
Clemson's 2024-25 men's NCAA tournament run is over after just one game.
Will Wade and McNeese State defeated the Tigers 69-67 in Thursday's first round.
Wade, who is reportedly set to coach NC State next fall, has extended his final season with the Cowboys by leading the program to its first NCAA Tournament win.
Clemson was held to 13 points in Thursday's first half, during which the team was outscored by Cowboys guard Brandon Murray (14 points) alone.
McNeese remained dominant early in the second half as Clemson struggled to shoot.
A late push by the Tigers cut the advantage to three points with just more than 10 seconds remaining in the game, but McNeese made a free throw, and a last-second Chase Hunter layup was too little, too late.
Despite Clemson's late surge, McNeese still finished the game having outshot the Tigers from the field, 43.5 percent to 36.8 percent.
College basketball fans were impressed by Wade's ability to hold off Clemson and lead his team to an upset.
Clemson entered March Madness with an 18-2 in-conference record, just behind Duke for the best in the ACC.
The Tigers' early exit therefore proved to be a bracket buster for many college basketball fans:
McNeese is now set to take on Purdue with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
The No. 4 Boilermakers, who are heading to the second round after a 75-63 win over High Point, will meet up with the Cowboys on Saturday in the Midwest Region second round.
