Alabama State channeled Christian Laettner to stun St. Francis in March Madness opener

The 2025 men’s NCAA tournament got underway on Tuesday night with a First Four matchup between a pair of No. 16 seeds: SWAC champion Alabama State and NEC champion Saint Francis. The game was an absolute banger, with two hungry teams trading the lead back and forth all game. This game was always meant to come down to the final possession, and we got our first magic moment of March when it happened.

A March Madness star was born in Alabama State guard Amarr Knox. Knox scored a game-high 16 points, and his final bucket delivered the Hornets the win.

With the game tied at 68, Alabama State inbounded the ball under its own basket with less than three seconds left. The baseball pass got tipped in the air and found its way into Knox’s hands, who put in the game-winning basket just before the buzzer.

Alabama State beat Saint Francis, 70-68. Watch the game-winner here:

What a way for March Madness to start. The Hornets now face the No. 1 overall seed team in the tournament in their next game: the Auburn Tigers.

The end of this game was wild: Alabama State missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 with a chance to take the lead with 12 seconds left. Saint Francis dribbled the ball down the floor under duress, but got stripped, and the ball went off Red Flash last.

Alabama State guard Micah Simpson threw a perfect baseball pass to set up the game winner. Shades Christian Laettner! The 2025 men’s NCAA tournament is off to an amazing start.