2025 March Madness: Khalif Battle, Amir Khan and more heroes from Day 1

With the NCAA Tournament, comes 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 ocassion and joined that list:

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.

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