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March Madness Started Off With a Wild One As Alabama State Outlasts Saint Francis

The Hornets are moving on in the NCAA tournament.
Michael Kadlick|
Alabama State guard TJ Madlock shoots the ball.
Alabama State guard TJ Madlock shoots the ball. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Saint Francis U Red FlashAlabama State Hornets

The No. 16 seed Alabama State Hornets are officially moving on in the NCAA men's basketball tournament following a barn-burning victory over Saint Francis (PA) on Tuesday night.

Momentarily looking like they had the game in hand—at the free throw line in a tie game with just 12 seconds left—Alabama State guard TJ Madlock front-rimmed his first attempt and gave the ball back to the Red Flash.

Following a wasted possession from Saint Francis, however, chaos ensued. Alabama State put up a Hail Mary on the inbound, throwing a near-full-court pass from the opposite baseline with just three seconds left, and guard Amarr Knox caught the tipped ball and laid it in to secure a 70-68 win.

Watch it for yourself here:

Tuesday night's play-in game victory was not only Alabama State's seventh in a row, but was also their first NCAA tournament win in school history.

They'll now take on the No. 1 seed in the entire bracket, the Auburn Tigers, on Thursday afternoon. That one will tip off at 2:50 p.m. and air on CBS.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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