With its 60-56 win over Jackson State in Saturday's SWAC Tournament, Alabama State basketball is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years.

CJ Hines scored 20 points and No. 5 seed Alabama State pulled away late to beat No. 2 seed Jackson State 60-56 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship and clinched its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011.

No. 2 Jackson State will square off against No. 5 Alabama State in the 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament at 8:30 PM CT on Saturday, Mar. 15. ESPNU will broadcast the championship game, which stands to be a highly competitive HBCU basketball matchup.

Madness First Four bracket updates, scores, results from Alabama State vs Saint Francis and North Carolina vs San Diego State games today.

The Saint Francis Red Flash got stung by the Alabama State Hornets in the closing seconds to open the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night. The Hornets kicked things off in the First Four with some madness in the final 3.4 seconds of the second half, taking a 70-68 win in improbable fashion in Dayton, Ohio.

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 18 with the First Four and a matchup between St. Francis and Alabama State.