A No. 12 seed, that nobody gave a second thought to, absolutely torched the No. 5 Clemson. With 8:05 left in the second half, the scoreboard read: McNeese 51, Clemson 29. Fans, analysts, and even casual viewers couldn’t wrap their heads around it. This just wasn’t supposed to happen. Not to Clemson, a team that has gone 5-1 when the spread was -9.5 to -5.5 and has players like Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin (both earning ACC honors!). Yet here they were, being outhustled, outshot, and outplayed by a mid-major squad with something to prove.

McNeese was riding on an 11-game win streak, having dominated the Southland Conference with a 19-1 record. Their 27-6 overall mark was close to Clemson’s 28-6, but their journey had been different with less spotlight, fewer expectations, and fewer Quad 1 wins. Now, after the recent matchup, one can say with conviction that Coach Will Wade, in his second year with the Cowboys, has transformed the program.

He himself could not believe the outcome as he told Fox Sports’ John Fanta, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen…These people have just been incredible. Just to be able to do this for them… I can’t even describe it.” It was the Cowboys’ first-ever March Madness win, so we understand why everyone’s voice was thick with emotions. “It still feels like a dream,” forward Christian Shumate said postgame. “I’m sure in a couple days or when this is all over I’ll wake up and look back at it like, OK, that really did happen.”

The numbers do tell the story of McNeese’s dominance- again, to reiterate, something that no one expected! Brandon Murray, coming off the bench, outscored the Tigers single-handedly with 14 points by the break. Come the second half and the McNeese Men’s Basketball X account couldn’t resist a flex: Brandon Murray folks. Season-high 17 points on 8 of 15 shooting including a 3-pointer.#GeauxPokes | #BayouBandits. Shumate also added 13 points and 11 rebounds and eight Cowboys played at least 17 minutes, a stark contrast to Clemson’s five bench points.

And that’s exactly what they did.

But if McNeese’s dominance was stunning, so was Clemson’s collapse. This was a team that had made it to the Elite Eight last season and had a core strengthened by veterans. Not to forget that they had beaten a powerhouse like Duke (77-72), finishing 18-2 in the ACC. So, how come that against McNeese they looked lost? Their coach has an answer, yet, that too is overwhelmed by an “idk“. “You have halves like that. You don’t like having them in this setting,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the loss. “We haven’t shot the ball very well the last two weeks. I don’t know why that is… you can almost see our guys pressing and just trying hard”. Hunter, who averaged 16.4 points per game, went 0-for-4 in the first half, finishing with 21 points only after a late rally. Schieffelin, a 12.8-point, 9.4-rebound force, scored just one point on 0-for-4 shooting.

Analysis reveals why this upset has fans sounding off. No. 12 seeds have won at least one first-round game in 34 of the past 40 tournaments, per USA Today. And as if that wasn’t enough, Josh Dubow of The Associated Press, brought it to everyone’s attention that “Clemson is 2nd team seeded 5th or better to score 13 points or fewer in 1st half of NCAA Tournament game in shot clock era (since 1986). No. 5 seed Wisconsin had 12 vs Missouri State in 1999 first round“.

After all, McNeese’s approach was just fearless, nothing else, as Murray admitted, “

We went out there and took the first punch and they didn’t know how to react to that, honestly”. While there were strategies at play, especially when it came to rebounds, fans cannot still understand how a mid team could expose the Tigers’ Achilles’ heel so brutally- especially when Bradwell himself had flagged the same struggles earlier this season.

Anyway, McNeese’s win wasn’t a fluke—it was a statement. And somewhere, X fans are probably still shaking their heads in unison, wondering how the Cowboys turned March Madness upside down.

McNeese stuns Clemson, urging fans to erupt as underdogs dominate the madness

As expected, Clemson fans could only watch in horror as their team’s nightmare unfolded on the hardwood.

“If Clemson loses, don’t give me Narcan. These f—king thugs from McNeese are playing like an uncivilized tribe,” one fan ranted online. The reaction was extreme, but honestly? Watching the game, it wasn’t hard to see why emotions were running high. The No. 5 seed Clemson looked completely outmatched. Consider this: At halftime, McNeese led 31-13, holding Clemson to a measly 5-of-24 shooting (20.8%) and 1-of-15 from three-point range. As if that wasn’t enough, they had ten turnovers.

Disaster, right? But let’s give credit where due. They did have their promising moments too. Clemson mounted a furious comeback as Jaeden Zackery’s career-high 24 points, including four threes, almost flipped the script. They scored 54 second-half points, bringing down the deficit to just two points in the final seconds. But, yes, the almost, that hurts, as their last-second basket came too late.

“Something told me to pick McNeese,” another fan admitted. Well, props to them, they saw what the experts didn’t. And it seems like they won’t have to tweet about “underestimating the Southland”. Not the same for ESPN’s Andy Katz, though, who had picked Clemson to be in the Sweet Sixteen.

“Clemson is booty. Geaux Cowboys,” one spectator wrote, summing up the mood as McNeese refused to loosen their grip on the game. But another was quick to say, “Don’t jinx it for us McNeese fans lol”. No one from the McNeese club wants to get ahead of themselves.

Before the tournament, college hoops fans were digging into team histories for bracket clues. McNeese hadn’t won an NCAA game in its three prior tries—last time was a 1989 loss to Illinois—and folks figured their Southland Conference roots meant long odds again.Hence, one fan made a major mistake. “I should’ve taken McNeese, but I couldn’t believe. I took High Point instead,” another user groaned, realizing just how much they had underestimated the Cowboys.

High Point’s elevation trivia might sound cool, but their 0-1 NCAA record—losing to NC State in 2024’s First Four—didn’t exactly scream the winner. And maybe McNeese’s quiet 18-0 home win streak should’ve been the hint. McNeese wasn’t some random underdog—they had been quietly punching above their weight all season. Ranked No. 59 in KenPom, they had already taken Alabama to an eight-point game and pushed Mississippi State to a three-point thriller.

Not just that—they also had 35 different 10-0 bursts this season, including four to start games. And finally, they stood out against Clemson’s experience and strong 27-6 record. It marked the 28th victory of the head coach this season and the program’s first-ever first-round win in history. Will they be adding another?