The first upset of the 2025 NCAA Tournament came in an unsurprising seeded matchup as No. 12 seed McNeese State took down No. 5 seed Clemson.

Seemingly every year a No. 12 seed upsets a No. 5 seed in what has become a trendy upset pick in brackets. That was the case once again this year as the Cowboys jumped out to a 31-13 lead to end the first half.

The Tigers – who at one point faced a 23-point deficit in the second half – came roaring back, outscoring McNeese State 54-38 in the second half, but the damage was already done. In the end, Will Wade’s team escaped with a 69-67 victory and will face off against Purdue in the Second Round after the Boilermakers took down High Point in a 75-63 victory.

While the men’s basketball team deserves the spotlight thanks to their impressive win, it was the cheerleading team that stole a bit of the attention. McNeese cheerleaders were seen wearing socks with the face of the team’s manager, Amir Khan.

Fans flocked to the comments section of the video to react to the decision from the cheerleaders.

“This guy better be getting NIL $$$$$,” one person joked.

“This guy is having a hell of a run,” added another.

“McNeese was made for March,” offered a third.

Ahead of the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Khan became the first student manager to secure an endorsement deal. Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick and Insomnia Cookies all signed him to an NIL contract before the team’s big win on Thursday.