Big upsets are arguably one of the most exciting parts of March Madness, despite the pain it might bring your already-busted bracket. And we technically got one to kick things off on Thursday, as No. 9 Creighton dominated No. 8 Louisville. Thirteen-seed High Point put up a fight against No. 4 Purdue, but the Boilermakers were able to pull out a 75-63 win.

Catch up on all the upsets of the 2025 NCAA tournament below:

No. 9 Creighton 89, No. 8 Louisville 75: No. 9 Creighton ran away from No. 8 Louisville in the first half on the way to win their first-round game in the South region.

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The Blue Jays led 49-34 at the break and had a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half. Louisville got the lead cut to 12 with less than five minutes to go, but any hope of a last-ditch comeback were extinguished when Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey got a technical foul with 4:41 to go.

No. 12 McNeese 69, No. 5 Clemson 67: We have our first Cinderella candidate of the NCAA tournament.

McNeese State dominated Clemson for a 69-67 win in the first round of tournament play on Thursday. With the win, McNeese State becomes the first double-digit seed to advance to the second round.

Clemson attempted to mount a late second-half rally, but its first-half deficit proved too much to overcome. McNeese State reeled off an early 19-2 run to take a 23-8 lead that remained at double digits until late in the second half. By halftime, McNeese State held a 31-13 advantage as the Tigers narrowly missed setting a tournament record for first-half futility. Things didn’t get much better after the break for Clemson, which failed to put significant pressure on the Cowboys.

The win also means we’ll see more of student manager Amir Khan, who’s become a fan favorite for walking the team out of the locker room with a boom box and singing along to rap songs.