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Alabama State guard Amarr Knox celebrates with teammates after making the would-be game winning layup against St. Francis (PA) in the First Four game. - Dylan Buell/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Alabama State kicked off the 2025 edition of March Madness with a thrilling 70-68 win over Saint Francis (PA) in the First Four of the men’s basketball tournament Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio.
With the game tied at 68-68 and 3.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Alabama State junior guard Micah Simpson threw a long full-court inbound pass from under St. Francis’ basket that would eventually end up in the hands of sophomore guard Amarr Knox, who made the go-ahead layup with 0.7 seconds left at the UD Arena.
It was the Hornets first-ever tournament victory.
“We wanted to throw the ball long, and we put our tallest athletic person to go get the ball. And fortunately, everybody tipped the ball, and it landed to me, and I got the rebound and made the lay-up,” Knox told reporters. “Couldn’t have done it without my whole team. We instituted a play that we practice on all day in practice, our game plan, and it worked.”
Senior guard TJ Madlock added: “At the end of the day, it’s about who wants it, and I know he obviously showed he wanted it a little bit more tonight.”
The No. 16 seeded Hornets will next face the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed in the 68-team field, the University ofAuburn Tigers, on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, in the round of 64.
Alabama State head coach Tony Madlock said he doesn’t know how long the Hornets can savor the win before realizing Auburn is next. But the team will definitely enjoy the victory Tuesday night.
“We’re going to have this bus ride, I guess a couple hours down the road to play in Lexington at Rupp Arena. ‘How can you beat that?,’ he said. “‘How can you beat that for a school in the SWAC that has a lot of great tradition for us to go play at Rupp Arena?’ Nothing like it. We can’t wait.”
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