Day one of the 2025 NCAA March Madness lived up to expectations. We saw some dominant performances, underdogs making noise and covering, and incredible player performances that carried their respective teams to victory.
Three players’ performances stood out amongst the rest. This trio helped guide their team to victory in round one of March Madness and will be players to watch for the duration of the men’s tournament.
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee, 6-4 SeniorChaz was arguably the best player of the day with a 29-point, 5-rebound stat line along with two steals and a block. He shot 50 percent from the field and was 6-of-13 from 3-point range in the Vols’ 77-62 win over 15-seed Wofford.
A majority of fans expected Tennessee to take care of business, but this performance should not be swept under the rug. Lanier was efficient with his shooting, did a great job of protecting the ball (only one turnover) and was a team-high +20 when he was on the court.
Tennessee is a team to watch this tournament and Lanier will be a vital part of the team if it can make a deep run in the Midwest Region. Tennessee vs. Houston in Indy in the Elite 8 would be an absolute war and in order for the Vols to win he would need to take care of the ball in that pressure cooker.
Jamiya Neal, Creighton, 6-5 Senior
The first underdog win of the day was the first game of March Madness and Neal was the reason that Creighton was able to defeat Louisville.
Neal put up a 29-point, 12-rebound, 6-assist stat line and one block in the slight upset victory. He also was extremely efficient shooting 11-of-16 from the field, and almost playing the entirety of the game (39 minutes).
Neal is the heartbeat of the Creighton offense and he will need to put up a similar performance next round against the powerhouse Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, in order to advance.
Pharrel Payne, Texas A & M, 6-9 Junior
Payne was impressive in Texas A & M’s 80-71 win over 14-seed Yale. Payne put up a 25-point, 10-rebound stat line in its win over Yale and was a dominant force on both sides of the ball.
Down the stretch, Payne made a couple of great defensive plays in the fourth quarter, which allowed Texas A&M to close out the game. He will be pivotal in the Aggies’ round of 32 matchup against Michigan.
Day one of March Madness surely didn’t disappoint, and all eyes are on day two to repeat another great day of college hoops. The lines are big in favorite of the top seeds, but watch out for the ever-present 5 vs. 12 and 6 vs. 11 games.
