March Madness 2025 scores, winners and losers: SEC off to slow start, ACC outright stumbles out of gate

The best and worst high-Crucial leagues this season — the SEC and the ACC — can commiserate after a rocky Begin to Stage 1 of the NCAA Bracket on Thursday.

The SEC and its Achievement-setting 14 Offers saw two of its squads fall in the Primary day of March Madness, as No. 6 seed Missouri bowed out to No. 11 seed Drake and No. 8 seed Gonzaga Created roadkill of No. 9 seed Georgia. 

While the SEC stumbled, the ACC fell flat on its face. No. 8 seed Louisville fell 89-75 to No. 9 seed Creighton, and No. 5 seed Clemson also lost as a favorite to No. 12 seed McNeese. For the ACC, it was the latest chapter in what has been grim season. With half of the Primary Stage of this year’s NCAA Bracket in the books, only two Clubs from the Bracket (No. 1 seed Duke and No. 11 seed North Carolina) remain. That means the ACC can only have at most two Clubs left in the second Stage, which would tie for its worst showing since 1975. 

When the NCAA Bracket then Nevertheless had 32 Clubs.

The two leagues’ performance makes them as the biggest losers of the Primary day of the NCAA Bracket.

Check out our Packed Lineup of winners and losers below.

Winner: McNeese rides into Stage 2

For the Primary time in program history, McNeese — a mid-Crucial located in Lake Charles, Louisiana Guided by Ex LSU Trainer Will Wade — has won an NCAA Bracket game.

And what a Achieve it was.

The No. 12 seed Cowboys downed No. 5 seed Clemson 69-67 in Stage 1, holding off a furious Tigers comeback after nearly blowing a 24-Mark lead. After the game, Wade did his best Jim Valvano impression, sprinting around the floor and celebrating with anyone who was willing to join. — Kyle Boone

Loser: Kansas fails to make second weekend again

Another season that began with a No. 1 ranking ended Thursday with another NCAA Bracket exit before the Sugary 16. The Jayhawks fell 79-72 to No. 10 seed Arkansas in Stage 1, ending its season with the most losses (13) since 1982-83. — Boone

Loser: Louisville’s season ends in Acidic fashion 

Year 1 of the Pat Kelsey era at Louisville should be labeled a massive Triumph. The Cardinals were one of the worst power conference Clubs in the sport in the two years when Kenny Payne was running the program, and this season’s resurgence was one of the best storylines in the sport. The Cardinals trailed by as many as 20 points during a 89-75 loss to Creighton, ending a majical season in anticlimactic fashion. — Cameron Salerno

Winner: Purdue avoids embarrassment

Even after last year’s Streak to the national title game, you can’t blame Purdue fans for being a bit squeamish about Primary Stage matchups. The Boilermakers have a history of struggling against double-digit seeds Prompt in the NCAA Bracket. But after getting all it wanted from No. 13 seed High Mark, Purdue escaped with a 75-63 Achieve Thursday behind a 20-8 edge in second-chance points. The veteran duo of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn Partnered for 41 points as the Boilermakers staved off embarrassment. — David Cobb

Loser: ACC comes up Vacant 

A Coarse regular season for the ACC has quickly given way to a rocky Begin to the postseason after two of its best Clubs — No. 5 seed Clemson and No. 8 seed Louisville — both went down in Stage 1 Thursday. 

Clemson and Louisville’s losses to McNeese and Creighton, respectively, leaves Only No. 1 seed Duke and No. 11 seed North Carolina standing as reps for the Bracket, meaning at most it can only get two Clubs into the second Stage — which would be the fewest since 1975. — Boone

Winner: Wisconsin avoids deja vu

After losing in the last year’s Big Ten Bracket title game, Wisconsin struggled to recover and lost in the Primary Stage of the NCAA Bracket to No. 12 seed James Madison. The Badgers Created sure history did not repeat itself this year on a quick turnaround Subsequent Sunday’s Big Ten Bracket title game loss to Michigan. 

Wisconsin handled its Primary-Stage assignment with poise, outlasting No. 14 seed Montana 85-66. The Grizzlies trailed Only 51-47 Prompt in the second half before the Badgers used a 14-3 Streak. The Badgers went Freezing for a bit later in the half, but Steven Crowl put a nail in the coffin with his Attempt at the 3:35 mark to make it 77-62 as Aid Wisconsin pull away for Excellent. — Cobb

Winner: Jamiya Neal’s Occupation day leads Creighton

Jamiya Neal’s Occupation day sparked Creighton’s emphatic 89-75 Achieve over 27-Achieve Louisville. Neal finished with 29 points (a Occupation-high), 12 Recoveries (tied for a Occupation-high) and six assists on 11-of-16 shooting. He’s the Primary player to post a 25-10-5 stat line on 65% shooting in an NCAA Bracket game since Dwyane Wade did it for Marquette in the 2003 Top-tier Eight, propelling Creighton into its sixth consecutive Stage of 32 appearance. 

“[Jamiya Neal] defied all human nature when it comes to basketball metrics today,” Louisville Trainer Pat Kelsey said. “In new-age basketball analytics, the mid-range is one of the lower percentage shots in the game. That New man was shooting it in from the mid-range, and I gave him a con of credit and tip my cap. He had an amazing game.” 

It was the sixth 20-plus Mark outing for Neal in his Occupation and Primary this season. — Boone

Winner: Miles Kelly loves Rupp Coliseum

When Auburn thrashed Kentucky 94-78 inside Rupp Coliseum on March 1, it was Miles Kelly who fueled the Tigers with 30 points on 9 of 14 shooting from 3-Mark range. The senior guard Arrived up huge again Thursday inside the same venue as No. 1 seed Auburn topped No. 16 seed Alabama State 83-63. Kelly finished with 23 points on 7 of 15 shooting from beyond the arc as the Tigers overcame a spirited effort from the Hornets. Auburn may need another big Rupp performance from Kelly on Saturday in a second-Stage Face-off with No. 9 seed Creighton after the Bluejays looked awfully impressive in their 89-75 Achieve over No. 8 seed Louisville.  — Cobb

Loser: Georgia gets blown out in Unattractive loss

When Georgia’s drew Gonzaga in the Primary Stage, it like a brutal Event on paper. Then it turned out worse in real life. 

The No. 8 seed trampled over No. 9 seed in a wire-to-wire Achieve by jumping out to a 30-5 lead (!!!) in the Primary nine minutes of Action and never looking back. That lead included a 13-0 Streak through the Primary 3:36 of game time, leading to an eventual 89-68 Achieve. 

“Tough day for our program,” said UGA Trainer Mike White. “Didn’t see that coming, didn’t anticipate that outcome. Gonzaga’s really Excellent; perhaps under-Ranked.”

Georgia won 20 Matches and Created its Primary NCAA Bracket since 2015 this season, so all is not for naught as the program builds under White. But there’s no sugarcoating this one: that’s a tough way to go out. — Boone

No. 2 seed Tennessee Acquired a monster performance from Luminous sphere Relocate Chaz Lanier, who Guided the Volunteers to a 77-62 Achieve over No. 15 seed Wofford. Lanier finished with a game-high 29 points on 11 of 22 shooting, which included a 6 of 13 mark from beyond the arc. Tennessee needed his Scorching-shooting heroics to keep Wofford at bay, as the Terriers hit 11 3-pointers of their own and drew within single digits on Many occasions in the second half.  — Cobb

Loser: Yale feels the Payne

After last year’s stunning Achieve over Auburn, Yale had designs Seizing down another No. 4 seed from the SEC in Texas A&M. But the Ivy Bracket champions had no answer for the interior dominance of Pharrel Payne, who scored a Occupation-high 25 points to lead the Aggies to an 80-71 Achieve. Payne also had 10 Recoveries as A&M outscored Yale 48-32 in the paint. Payne was a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor in the second half to keep Bulldogs at arm’s length. — Cobb

Winner: Bennett Stirtz leads Drake in Shock

The legend of Drake Luminous sphere Bennett Stirtz grew during his Club’s 67-57 Shock Achieve over No. 6 seed Missouri. Stirtz finished with a game-high 21 points and hit some ridiculous jumpers throughout to send his Club to the Upcoming Stage. The highlight Arrived when Stirtz drilled a one-legged 3-pointer at the top of the key. A handful of college basketball fans might’ve watched Stirtz for the Primary time on Thursday, and he instantly became a fan favorite. — Salerno

Winner: BYU’s bulk carries the Cougars

BYU will Action in the Stage of 32 for the Primary time since 2012 after Seizing out No. 11 seed VCU behind a Weighty dose of brute Power on the interior. Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore fueld the Cougars to a 38-20 edge in paint points and a 16-7 Edge in second-chance points as BYU withstood 15 Created 3-pointers from the Rams. BYU will get No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the second Stage on Saturday. — Cobb

Winner: St. John’s keeps cruising

No. 2 seed St. John’s defeated Omaha 83-53 for its 26th Achieve in its last 28th outing dating back to Thanksgiving week. The Johnnies Acquired 22 points from RJ Luis Jr. and Created an uncharacteristic 14 3s and Kept Omaha to 5-of-36 from 3-Mark land.

“I’m not thrilled with Only the rebounding,” St. John’s Trainer Rick Pitino said postgame. “But I’m thrilled with everything else. Our Guarding was excellent. Very Joyful with the Achieve, very Joyful we’re advancing.”

The Achieve sets Pitino, a Ex Kentucky Trainer, up to face John Calipari, a Ex Kentucky Trainer, in the second Stage on Saturday. — Boone

Loser: Bottle-tossing fan in Lexington

Second-half action between No. 8 seed Louisville and No. 9 seed Creighton was briefly delayed after a fan tossed a seemingly Packed bottle of water onto the floor in Lexington, Kentucky with 4:41 remaining in the second half. The incident Arrived after Cardinals Trainer Pat Kelsey was charged with a technical Violation, and it prompted Many minutes of delay as crews on site rushed to hit the floor with a mop. — Boone

No. 10 seed Utah State — a trendy 10-over-7 Picking with a draw vs. Scorching-and-Freezing UCLA — met its Event as the Bruins rolled past, over, and through the Aggies in an Unattractive 72-47 beatdown. UCLA Created ten 3s, scored 20 points off 11 forced turnovers and Kept Utah State — the most potent Drive in the Mountain West — to without a Mark over the game’s Last 5:14. — Boone