The NCAA tournament rolls on as the stage is set for drama in the men’s and women’s brackets | CNN

Iowa has reached back-to-back women’s NCAA tournament finals, but this year could be very different for the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes have lost their core members from those teams including the irrepressible Caitlin Clark. The NCAA’s Division-I all-time leading scorer in basketball is now in the WNBA where she stars for the Indiana Fever.

Iowa also lost veteran head coach Lisa Bluder who was replaced by assistant Jan Jensen ahead of this season.

Despite being the No. 11 seeds, Murray State will feel it can cause an upset and end Iowa’s streak of success at March Madness.

The game between the two teams has now tipped off.

While heroes are made on the court during March Madness, there are also icons off the court who can steal the show.

Step forward the McNeese State team’s student manager, Amir Khan.

Khan, or – as he is now widely known – Aura, has become a viral sensation since he took up his role. Known for leading the team out of the tunnel with a boombox in hand, Khan gets his team pumped up and ready for action.

Ahead of today’s game against Purdue, Khan is looking the part once more and rocking a yellow jumpsuit emblazoned with ‘”Aura” on the back.

Amir Khan pulled up in the new aura jumpsuit 🥶#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/BuHKPMAM5L

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2025

McNeese State’s win against Clemson was arguably the biggest story from the men’s round of 64.

The No. 12 seed Cowboys stunned the No. 5 Tigers to take home a 69-67 win in their opening game of this year’s tournament.

The two-point win was built around McNeese State’s first half defense which only allowed Clemson to score 13 points. The Cowboys took an 18-point lead into the halftime break which proved to be just enough as they held on to the win against the Tigers.

While McNeese State’s players are doing it on the court, arguably the most famous member of the program is sitting just behind the bench.

Amir Khan – the team’s student manager – has become famous for being the team’s most vociferous hype-man, rapping with the players and holding a boombox as they exit from the tunnel.

Khan’s antics have earned him the nickname “Aura” and during the Cowboys’ game against Clemson, the team’s cheerleaders are wearing socks with Khan’s face on them.

Purdue came through its round of 64 game with a win against the High Point Panthers.

While the Boilermakers weren’t at their best, 21 points from Trey Kaufman-Renn helped steer the team into this round of 32 matchup.

Can Purdue stop this Cinderella story from developing or will the viral sensations of McNeese State march on?

It’s the second day of the women’s NCAA tournament’s round of 64 and it’s chock full of basketball. Here is where to watch all of today’s action:

  • No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State (noon ET on ESPN)
  • No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15Arkansas State (1 p.m. ET on ABC
  • No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay (1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2)
  • No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont (2 p.m. ET on ESPN)
  • No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Columbia (2 p.m. ET on ESPNews)
  • No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 FGCU (2:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU)
  • No. 1 Southern California vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro (3 p.m. on ABC)
  • No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State (3:30 p.m. on ESPN2)
  • No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State (4 p.m. ET on ESPN)
  • No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State (4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU)
  • No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard (4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews)
  • No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Mississippi State (5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2)
  • No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton (7:15 p.m. ET on ESPNews)
  • No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason (7:45 p.m. on ESPN2)
  • No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 William & Mary (9:45 p.m. on ESPN2)
  • No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State (10:15 p.m. on ESPN)

Top seeds are in action all day today as the opening round’s lack of upsets means some tasty showdowns this weekend. Here are all the games and where to watch them:

  • No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 12 McNeese State (12:10 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 10 Arkansas (2:40 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • No. 4Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Michigan (5:15 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • No. 3Texas Tech vs. No.11 Drake (6:10 p.m. ET on TNT)
  • No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 9 Creighton (7:10 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV)
  • No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 6 BYU (7:45 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • No. 1 Houston vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (8:40 p.m. ET on TNT)
  • No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 7 UCLA (9:40 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV)

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