In a tournament where madness is the norm, Alabama State basketball made some of its own in Ohio. And with that, March Madness has officially begun! The Hornets just snagged their first-ever NCAA tournament win in program history, and they did it in the most chaotic, jaw-dropping way possible. And now, the entire country watches as they prepare to take on No. 1 Auburn with Bruce Pearl at the helm. And if the locker room scenes tell us anything, it’s how the Alabama State is not just optimistic to be here. They’re fired up!

Head coach Tony Madlock wasted no time getting honest with his players after the game. “We’re gonna have to get on that road tonight,” he told them, ensuring they knew the job was far from over. Then came the real talk.

“I told you… We spend more time on situational stuff. Touchdown. Great pass. Way to go get it. I want this ball, and I gotta score in the end. That’s what you gotta do, man. There is a winning play. There’s a winning pass, and that’s everything, man,” he said. Such words of wisdom on a basketball court!

And there was what could only be called the most perfect winning pass. With the game tied at 68 and just 3.4 seconds left, Bama State delivered. Micah Simpson launched a full-court pass, chaos erupted, and the ball bounced like a pinball off multiple hands before landing right where it needed to—in Amarr Knox’s hands, inches from the basket. 

And Knox cashed in the layup, sealing the win and sending the Hornets into pure euphoria. March. Freaking. Madness.

But the Hornets aren’t celebrating too long because next up is a monster challenge. And they know it. “We ain’t through,” Madlock told his team. “Let’s keep playing! I am so proud. First tournament win in Alabama history, baby! … Let’s just keep doin’ it. Let’s fly around and have fun. I want to have fun. That’s all we gon’ do, man.” 

But he wasn’t sugarcoating anything either. “We know that we gotta play better.” Because Auburn isn’t Saint Francis. Look, pulling off a wild finish is one thing. Taking down a No. 1 seed is a whole different beast. The top-seeded Tigers will be Alabama State’s toughest test of the season. The two teams are practically neighbors—just about an hour apart—but when they meet in Lexington, Kentucky, on Thursday, those friendly handshakes will have deeper competitive meaning.

The Hornets have graced SEC competition before, losing by 13 to LSU and 17 to Missouri earlier this season. And the last time they played Auburn, it was an 82-62 loss in December 2023. Not exactly encouraging history. But that was then. This is now. And this Alabama State team is on fire, winning 7 straight and 11 of their last 12 games.

Meanwhile, Auburn is coming off a rough SEC tournament exit. So, the Hornets have momentum, confidence, and March Madness magic on their side. But don’t think for a second that Auburn is sweating.

Bruce Pearl’s son says Auburn has every reason to feel confident

Auburn might have some doubters, but assistant coach Steven Pearl isn’t sweating it. “All you hear about is 3 of the last 4, but I look back at our last 10. We’re 7-3 in our last 10 games. We have wins over a 2-seed, a 3-seed, two 6-seeds, a 9-seed, and two 10-seeds,” he said on ‘The Next Round.’ Pearl stated losing to Tennessee in the SEC tournament wasn’t some devastating collapse.

He mentioned that considering their body of work over the last ten games, they still played good basketball. Bruce Pearl’s son isn’t buying the idea that Auburn lost because they aren’t good enough. “You can’t panic, can’t push the panic button when you lose to three top 13 teams in the country.”

In other words, Auburn didn’t stumble against scrubs. They lost to some of the best and still got the No. 1 seed for a reason.

But let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Auburn has struggled in March lately. Since their incredible 2019 Final Four run, they haven’t made it past the second round in any tournament from 2021-2024. Last year, they got bounced in the first round by No. 13 Yale. 

And while they’re the top seed, they’ve lost three of their last four games. Even Bruce Pearl himself knows the pressure is on. “If we don’t win a national championship, we’ll be disappointed, as a No. 1 seed,” he admitted. That’s a bold statement, but it’s the truth. Anything less than a deep run will feel like a massive letdown for this team.

So, what’s next? 

Well, Auburn is still the overwhelming favorite, and Bama State should be a lopsided game on paper. But it’s March, and March doesn’t care about seeding. So, Bruce Pearl & Co. better hope that madness doesn’t do its thing at the wrong time.