On Tuesday night, March Madness got going the only way it knows how: with a classic battle that came right down to the wire. Alabama State and St. Francis (PA) went at it in a battle of 16-seeds and a coveted NCAA Tournament win on the line.
The Red Flash got the early advantage, but Alabama State ramped up the pace and the pressure in the second half and stormed back to take a late lead. After a pair of 3-pointers helped St. Francis tie the game at 68, the Hornets had one last bit of magic in them.
With just a few seconds to go, reserve guard Micah Simpson launched a full-court pass that bounced around and landed in the hands of Amarr Knox, who calmly finished at the rim to give Alabama State the win and help it advance to the Round of 64 to take on Auburn.
Knox’s game-winner made a little bit of history for the First Four, according to Jared Berson.
“Amarr Knox’s game-winner for Alabama State with 1 second remaining is the latest game-winning shot in First Four history,” Berson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The final play will certainly go down as one of the best moments of this NCAA Tournament that will hopefully be filled with plenty of them.
Alabama State will now try to do the unthinkable and knock off the No. 1 overall seed Auburn. Bruce Pearl and the Tigers have more Quad 1 wins than any team in the country and have picked up impressive win after impressive win on their way to the SEC regular season title. The Hornets certainly have their work cut out for them, but maybe they have a little but more magic left in store.
Alabama State has still had a wildly successful season even if Auburn handles it in the Round of 64. The SWAC Champions are etched in stone forever after this March Madness classic finish to start off the 2025 tournament.
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