Second time turned out to be the charm for the McNeese State Cowboys, who pulled off a stunning 69-67 upset win over No. 5 seed Clemson on Thursday afternoon for their first NCAA tournament win in program history.
No. 12 seed McNeese State, which also earned the No. 12 seed last year but got blown out by Gonzaga in the first round, jumped ahead to an early lead against the Tigers and never looked back. Clemson nearly clawed its way back late in the game by sinking a barrage of three-pointers in the final minute, but the Tigers' comeback attempt came up just short.
It was the first major upset of the tournament so far, one only made more public thanks to the viral sensation of Amir Khan, McNeese State’s beloved student manager. Khan became the first ever student manager to ink an NIL deal and has seemingly rocketed into stardom overnight, with videos of his epic pregame walk-outs taking the college hoops world by storm.
Khan spoke to John Fanta in a postgame locker room interview after Thursday’s win—and the whole Cowboys squad pulled up, too.
McNeese State players hilariously crashed the interview, holding up various pieces of apparel branded with Khan’s name and face while continuously hyping Khan up.
Check out the funny moment here:
"HE IS AURA!" 🤩 @John_Fanta has the exclusive with @McNeeseMBB's manager Amir Khan after the Cowboys win over No. 5 Clemson ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/GkgpAVkSjF
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 20, 2025
“We got our first win in school history,” Khan said as his teammates draped his signature boombox over his shoulder. “McNeese is a hometown school, and for us to get a win in March Madness, it means the world to me.”
“Yo, talk to him. He’s aura, this is aura right here,” guard Quadir Copeland said.
McNeese State will look to extend its Cinderella run in the Round of 32 against No. 4 Purdue on Saturday. And you already know “Aura” will be there.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Amir Khan, McNeese State Players Shared Priceless Locker Room Moment After Upset Win.
