2025 March Madness: Khalif Battle, Amir Khan and more heroes from Day 1
The NCAA Tournament brings all the pressure any player could ask for. Some rise to the occasion, while others wilt. It's impossible to guess who will come through, but those that do etch their names in college basketball fans' minds forever.
From Jimmer Fredette, to Trey Burke, to D.J. Burns, to Kris Jenkins, these are the "Heroes of March Madness." And here are some characters that rose to the occasion and joined that list:
Creighton's guards
In the opening game of the Round of 64, the stage was set for a disrespected Louisville team to prove it was under-seeded. Instead, Creighton's guard-play stole the spotlight as seniors Jamiya Neal and Steven Ashworth combined for 52 points
It was the first NCAA Tournament game of Neal's career after transferring from Arizona State to Creighton for his final year of eligibility, and he met the moment. His 29 points were a season high, as were his 12 rebounds and he was 9-of-11 on 2-point field goals.
Ashworth was 4-of-8 from deep and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The storyline made this performance all the more impressive and timely as Louisville is built on the depth of its guards including Chucky Hepburn, Terrence Edwards Jr. and J'Vonne Hadley, not to mention, Reyne Smith returned from injury for the Cardinals. The Bluejays, on the other hand, have been without guard Pop Isaacs for most of the season, after he suffered a season-ending hip injury in December. They were forced to play Neal and Ashworth heavy minutes and rely on them for scoring, facilitating and defense, and the pair of seniors came through.
McNeese State and Amir Khan
Among other things, the Cowboys are popular because of their defense, and their beloved team manager. And both were in full effect on Thursday. McNeese State held Clemson to 13 first-half points, and completed the first upset of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Then, post-game, team manager Amir Khan met with Fox Sports' John Fanta. With his teammates in the background, he expressed pride for the Cowboys' win.
Purdue's pick-and-roll duo
Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn have been responsible for the bulk of Purdue's offense, this season. On Thursday, they combined for 41 of the Boilermakers' 75 points, with Smith adding six assists. High Point employed a drop coverage that disrupted their pick-and-rolls, but Smith's patience to force the switch on defense and beat the bigger defender, or find Kaufman-Renn inside, was impressive. It was the mark of duo that's been here before as both were integral pieces of Purdue's team that made the NCAA Finals in 2024, and could be sparking another run in 2025.
Khalif Battle
There aren't many college basketball players that were more deprived of NCAA Tournament experience than sixth-year senior Khalif Battle. Battle played for three different teams — Butler, Temple and Arkansas — over his first five years in college, missing the tournament every season, before transferring to Gonzaga. His hunger for March Madness showed in his 24-point, 8-rebound performance on Thursday in the Bulldogs' 89-68 win over Georgia.
Battle was 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep. Battle's had an inconsistent season, trading 20-point scoring barrages with goose-eggs. That being said, he's third in the nation in free-throw percentage (92.9). That combo makes him an X-factor for Gonzaga. So, if he can gain some confidence and play aggressively, and string together quality performances, then the Bulldogs offense will continue to hum.
Chaz Lanier
Lanier matched Jamiya Neal for the high-scorer on Day 1 of March Madness with 29 points in Tennessee's 77-62 win over Wofford. The Volunteers returned only three key players from their Final Four team last year, so they went out and got a slew of transfers, including Gainey, a fifth-year senior transfer from North Florida. One of those main departures was current Los Angeles Lakers' guard Dalton Knecht, who averaged 20.8 points in the NCAA Tournament. Lanier was mainly brought into make-up for the loss of Knecht, so if he can continue to mimic that production, the Volunteers have every chance of making another deep run.
Bennett Stirtz
Another mid-major darling, Stirtz led 11th-seeded Drake to a 67-57 win over 6th-seeded Missouri on Thursday. Stirtz is a high-usage player, whom the Bulldogs run ball-screens for as their main source of offense. He maximized those opportunities, scoring 21 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep.
Drake's roster had to be re-constructed after coach Darian DeVries left for West Virginia. Ben McCollum replaced DeVries and brought in a number of his players from his previous job at Division II school, Northwest Missouri State. With their win on Thursday, those players proved they belong with the best Division I programs.
Tantalizing transfers
You may have seen Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo contributing to March Madness success, and they're doing so again. Just in different threads. Davis and Aidoo combined for 40 points for Arkansas in the Razorbacks' 79-72 win over Kansas on Thursday. After hiring coach John Calipari in the offseason, the Razorbacks added six transfers, with Davis and Aidoo as the core of the class. Arkansas can go as far as that battle-tested duo takes them.
UCLA's defense
Head coach Mick Cronin is one of college basketball's most renowned defensive masterminds, and his Bruins' had one of their sturdiest performances of the season. They held Utah State under 50 points, the lowest of any team outside of 16-seed SIU edwardsville. The Aggies shot just 30% from the field and were 4-of-31 from 3-point range.
RJ Luis Jr.
The Big East player of the Year and Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player wasted no time introducing himself to the March Madness stage. Luis had 22 points and was 5-of-8 from deep, breaking the St. John's record for most 3-pointers made in an NCAA Tournament game. The two-seeded Red Storm beat 15th-seeded Omaha 83-53.
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