First Game Of March Madness Ends With Unbelievable Hail Mary Game-Winner

What a way to start March Madness!

With just a second left to go in the game, Alabama State guard Amarr Knox hit a layup to give the Hornets a 70-68 win Tuesday night over Saint Francis (PA) to advance past the First Four.

For the game, Knox racked up 16 points to lead Alabama State to a matchup against No. 1 overall seed Auburn in a South Region contest. That game takes place Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky. (RELATED: Troy Head Coach Scott Cross Has Very Interesting Way Of Recruiting — Give This Guy A Blue Blood Gig)

Leading in scoring for Saint Francis was guard Juan Cranford Jr., who happened to be in his hometown for the contest, with 18 points. Up next for the 16-18 Red Flash was forward Valentino Pinedo who tallied 17 points.

Sitting at 20-15 on the season, Alabama State was making their fifth all-time appearance in March Madness.

And it happened to come along with some spectacular magic:

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

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

Mayhem in the final second 😱#MarchMadness @BamaStateSports pic.twitter.com/Qc8JxN5yF0

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

Baseline angle of the full-court pass and bucket 👏#MarchMadness @BamaStateSports pic.twitter.com/ojdtNL7gGz

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

As I write this, North Carolina is blowing out San Diego State, so basically what this tells me is that the 2025 edition of March Madness is going to be extraordinarily unpredictable, which is fine with me.

A buzzer-beater here, a blowout there, who the hell knows what’s gonna happen … let’s swim in the Madness!