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

The Hornets are moving on in the NCAA tournament.

Alabama State guard TJ Madlock shoots the ball. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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:

ALABAMA STATE TAKES A LEAD IN THE FINAL SECOND 😱#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TktQHBcwo9

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 19, 2025

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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