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

The best and worst high-major leagues this season — the SEC and the ACC — can commiserate after a rocky start to Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

The SEC and its record-setting 14 bids saw two of its squads fall in the first day of March Madness, as No. 6 seed Missouri bowed out to No. 11 seed Drake and No. 8 seed Gonzaga made 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 first round of this year's NCAA Tournament in the books, only two teams from the league (No. 1 seed Duke and No. 11 seed North Carolina) remain. That means the ACC can only have at most two teams left in the second round, which would tie for its worst showing since 1975. 

When the NCAA Tournament then still had 32 teams.

The two leagues' performance makes them as the biggest losers of the first day of the NCAA Tournament.

Check out our full list of winners and losers below.

Winner: McNeese rides into Round 2

For the first time in program history, McNeese -- a mid-major located in Lake Charles, Louisiana led by former LSU coach Will Wade -- has won an NCAA Tournament game.

And what a win it was.

The No. 12 seed Cowboys downed No. 5 seed Clemson 69-67 in Round 1, holding off a furious Tigers comeback after nearly blowing a 24-point 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 Tournament exit before the Sweet 16. The Jayhawks fell 79-72 to No. 10 seed Arkansas in Round 1, ending its season with the most losses (13) since 1982-83. — Boone

Kansas' preseason No. 1 curse continues under Bill Self with first-round exit in March Madness 2025

Kyle Boone

Loser: Louisville's season ends in sour fashion 

Year 1 of the Pat Kelsey era at Louisville should be labeled a massive success. The Cardinals were one of the worst power conference teams 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 run to the national title game, you can't blame Purdue fans for being a bit squeamish about first round matchups. The Boilermakers have a history of struggling against double-digit seeds early in the NCAA Tournament. But after getting all it wanted from No. 13 seed High Point, Purdue escaped with a 75-63 victory Thursday behind a 20-8 edge in second-chance points. The veteran duo of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn combined for 41 points as the Boilermakers staved off embarrassment. -- David Cobb

Loser: ACC comes up empty 

A rough regular season for the ACC has quickly given way to a rocky start to the postseason after two of its best teams -- No. 5 seed Clemson and No. 8 seed Louisville -- both went down in Round 1 Thursday. 

Clemson and Louisville's losses to McNeese and Creighton, respectively, leaves just No. 1 seed Duke and No. 11 seed North Carolina standing as reps for the league, meaning at most it can only get two teams into the second round -- which would be the fewest since 1975. -- Boone

Winner: Wisconsin avoids deja vu

After losing in the last year's Big Ten Tournament title game, Wisconsin struggled to recover and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 12 seed James Madison. The Badgers made sure history did not repeat itself this year on a quick turnaround following Sunday's Big Ten Tournament title game loss to Michigan. 

Wisconsin handled its first-round assignment with poise, outlasting No. 14 seed Montana 85-66. The Grizzlies trailed just 51-47 early in the second half before the Badgers used a 14-3 run. The Badgers went cold for a bit later in the half, but Steven Crowl put a nail in the coffin with his jumper at the 3:35 mark to make it 77-62 as help Wisconsin pull away for good. -- Cobb

Winner: Jamiya Neal's career day leads Creighton

Jamiya Neal's career day sparked Creighton's emphatic 89-75 victory over 27-win Louisville. Neal finished with 29 points (a career-high), 12 rebounds (tied for a career-high) and six assists on 11-of-16 shooting. He's the first player to post a 25-10-5 stat line on 65% shooting in an NCAA Tournament game since Dwyane Wade did it for Marquette in the 2003 Elite Eight, propelling Creighton into its sixth consecutive Round of 32 appearance. 

"[Jamiya Neal] defied all human nature when it comes to basketball metrics today," Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said. "In new-age basketball analytics, the mid-range is one of the lower percentage shots in the game. That young 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 point outing for Neal in his career and first this season. -- Boone

Winner: Miles Kelly loves Rupp Arena

When Auburn thrashed Kentucky 94-78 inside Rupp Arena on March 1, it was Miles Kelly who fueled the Tigers with 30 points on 9 of 14 shooting from 3-point range. The senior guard came 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-round showdown with No. 9 seed Creighton after the Bluejays looked awfully impressive in their 89-75 win over No. 8 seed Louisville.  -- Cobb

Loser: Georgia gets blown out in ugly loss

When Georgia's drew Gonzaga in the first round, it like a brutal matchup on paper. Then it turned out worse in real life. 

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

"Tough day for our program," said UGA coach Mike White. "Didn't see that coming, didn't anticipate that outcome. Gonzaga's really good; perhaps under-seeded."

Georgia won 20 games and made its first NCAA Tournament 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

Winner: Chaz Lanier goes off

No. 2 seed Tennessee got a monster performance from star transfer Chaz Lanier, who led the Volunteers to a 77-62 win 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 hot-shooting heroics to keep Wofford at bay, as the Terriers hit 11 3-pointers of their own and drew within single digits on multiple occasions in the second half.  -- Cobb

Loser: Yale feels the Payne

After last year's stunning win over Auburn, Yale had designs taking down another No. 4 seed from the SEC in Texas A&M. But the Ivy League champions had no answer for the interior dominance of Pharrel Payne, who scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Aggies to an 80-71 victory. Payne also had 10 rebounds 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 upset

The legend of Drake star Bennett Stirtz grew during his team's 67-57 upset win over No. 6 seed Missouri. Stirtz finished with a game-high 21 points and hit some ridiculous jumpers throughout to send his team to the next round. The highlight came 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 first time on Thursday, and he instantly became a fan favorite. -- Salerno

Winner: BYU's bulk carries the Cougars

BYU will play in the Round of 32 for the first time since 2012 after taking out No. 11 seed VCU behind a heavy dose of brute strength on the interior. Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore fueld the Cougars to a 38-20 edge in paint points and a 16-7 advantage in second-chance points as BYU withstood 15 made 3-pointers from the Rams. BYU will get No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the second round on Saturday. -- Cobb

Winner: St. John's keeps cruising

No. 2 seed St. John's defeated Omaha 83-53 for its 26th win in its last 28th outing dating back to Thanksgiving week. The Johnnies got 22 points from RJ Luis Jr. and made an uncharacteristic 14 3s and held Omaha to 5-of-36 from 3-point land.

"I'm not thrilled with just the rebounding," St. John's coach Rick Pitino said postgame. "But I'm thrilled with everything else. Our defense was excellent. Very happy with the win, very happy we're advancing."

The win sets Pitino, a former Kentucky coach, up to face John Calipari, a former Kentucky coach, in the second round 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 full bottle of water onto the floor in Lexington, Kentucky with 4:41 remaining in the second half. The incident came after Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey was charged with a technical foul, and it prompted several minutes of delay as crews on site rushed to hit the floor with a mop. -- Boone

Winner: UCLA

No. 10 seed Utah State -- a trendy 10-over-7 pick with a draw vs. hot-and-cold UCLA -- met its match as the Bruins rolled past, over, and through the Aggies in an ugly 72-47 beatdown. UCLA made ten 3s, scored 20 points off 11 forced turnovers and held Utah State -- the most potent offense in the Mountain West -- to without a point over the game's final 5:14. -- Boone