PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- McNeese State president Dr. Wade Rousse said school officials had discussed adding extra support for its website if its 12th-seeded men's basketball team upset No. 5 Clemson in the NCAA tournament Thursday.

The Cowboys delivered with a 69-67 win. Then the website crashed anyway.

"It's a wonderful thing for us," Rousse said after the Cowboys opened a 31-13 lead at halftime and then held on after Clemson made a charge in the final two minutes. "Biggest day in our school history, or one of them, for sure.

"We've heard all the stories about other teams, that they get an upset and their website crashes because there's so much interest in the school. We were trying to be proactive before we left. We put the IT team on standby -- 'Hey, be there, just in case.'"

It was the first NCAA tournament victory for McNeese State, which is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The Cowboys earned a tournament berth for the second straight year as champion of the Southland Conference. But unlike last year, when coach Will Wade said they treated the tournament like a "field trip" because they were happy to be there, this was more business-like -- in more ways than one.

Wade is departing whenever the Cowboys' tournament run ends to become head coach at NC State, and he had been transparent about his interest in other jobs with players leading into the tournament.

"Whatever else is happening, that's of no distraction to us. I know everybody else thinks there's distractions and stuff, [but] we operate the same way all the time," he said. "We have broken every record in the book. This was the last one to get."

The moment marks another step in the career revival of Wade, who was fired in 2022 the wake of a three-year NCAA investigation into violations during his tenure at LSU. He was fired in March of 2022, just before the NCAA tournament after an NCAA Notice of Allegations that included seven Level I allegations tied to LSU men's basketball.

Senior forward Christian Shumate, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds against Clemson, acknowledged Wade's approach and how it resonated with players.

"When you're in the loop, and both ends are transparent about things, there's not too much room for conflict. There's a clear understanding," he said. "We'll worry about all of that stuff later. We're just focused on winning these games."

McNeese (28-6) surprised Clemson by playing a 2-3 zone for the first time this season, which seemed to rattle the Tigers, who shot 20.8% in the first half.

"Our first half was pretty flawless. We've been saving that zone; we haven't played the 2-3 zone all year," Wade said. "We put it in for the conference tournament and never used it. We thought this would be a good time to pull it out. The guys did a great job executing."

Clemson's 13 points at halftime nearly set a record. In the shot clock era, the fewest points in the first half of a tournament game is 10 -- by Wake Forest against Butler in 2001, and by Kent State against UNLV in 2008.

According to ESPN Research, since seeding began in 1979, only two teams had worse scoring halves when seeded No. 5 or better -- the 1984 Kentucky team (11 in second half of a Final Four game against Georgetown) and the 1999 Wisconsin team (12 in first half against Missouri State).

"We picked a tough day not to play our best," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "Certainly they had a lot to do with it. I didn't do a very good job with my guys -- we weren't really prepared for the zone to man. We haven't seen a lot of that this year, maybe a little bit with Stanford. And it bothered us."

The moment marks another step in the career revival of Wade, who was fired in 2022 the wake of a three-year NCAA investigation into violations during his tenure at LSU. He was fired in March of 2022, just before the NCAA tournament after an NCAA Notice of Allegations that included seven Level I allegations tied to LSU men's basketball.

WICHITA, Kan. -- First-year Drake coach Ben McCollum couldn't have quite seen all of this coming 365 days ago. In fact, at this time last year, McCollum was still several weeks away from leaving Division II Northwest Missouri State for the Bulldogs' top job.

But nights such as Thursday were most certainly part of the vision when McCollum landed at Drake last April 1. It's why nothing about the 11th-seeded Bulldogs' 67-57 first-round NCAA tournament victory over sixth-seeded Missouri at Intrust Bank Arena came as a surprise, at least not to the 43-year-old McCollum.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect this," McCollum said late Thursday night after Drake secured its first NCAA tournament win since 2021. "... I expected exactly this. I expected [my players] to compete. I brought winners with me. That's what I brought. I guess my superpower is finding winners, finding tough kids and believing in them. So I kind of expected this. I'd be lying if I said I didn't.

"I know I try to be humble in other words. But man, I believe in these kids."

The Bulldogs, who entered the game as a 5-point underdog at ESPN BET, were physically dominant on the boards. Junior guard Bennett Stirtz, one of four Drake starters who played Division II basketball last season, poured in 21 points. The program can reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1971 with a second-round win against No. 3 seed Texas Tech on Saturday.

It's the latest chapter in McCollum's storybook debut season at Drake, a small school from Des Moines, Iowa, with an enrollment of 4,774.

He compiled a 395-91 record and won four national titles in 15 seasons at Northwest Missouri State from 2009 to 2024. He arrived at Drake last spring and assembled a 10-man rotation made up primarily of former Division II recruits, junior college transfers and a pair of holdovers who played under former Drake coach Darian DeVries, who accepted Indiana's head coaching job earlier this week after one season at West Virginia.

That unlikely group adopted McCollum's patient, slow-tempo style and then stormed to a 30-3 record, earning an NCAA tournament berth as champion of the Missouri Valley Conference.

On Thursday, McCollum's undersized Bulldogs held Missouri to its lowest first-half point total of the season, outscored the Tigers 38-22 in the paint, and held off a late charge to land their 31st win of the season through a performance McCollum said he believed encapsulated the program transformation he has achieved in less than a year.

"For our guys, I think we just fought," McCollum said. "That's kind of what we have to do is just continue to fight and continue to grind and continue to compete. We've got guys that want to do that, that want it hard. They were able to do it."

In a clash of styles, Drake pulled the high-scoring, up-tempo Tigers into a slugfest en route to a 30-23 halftime advantage. That lead grew as large as 15 points after halftime before Missouri cut the gap to 52-51 with 4:28 left on the back of a 12-2 scoring run.

A 15-6 response from the Bulldogs over the final 4:02 was enough to close out the victory. Tavion Banks, a junior college transfer who earned MVC Sixth Man of the Year honors and charged Drake's rebounding performance Thursday, scored seven of his 15 points over that stretch.

McCollum credited the poise of Stirtz, who kicked off the closing run with a step-back jumper, for helping steward the Bulldogs through the final minutes.

"He's been in a lot of big games," McCollum said. "Obviously, just from a personality perspective, that's probably why we match so well. I'm a little more intense, we'll use. Some people would call it crazy. He's very calm. We just kind of fit each other when he's on the floor. He can evaluate exactly what I'm saying so we can get it corrected."

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- United States manager Mauricio Pochettino was visibly frustrated after his side's shocking 1-0 defeat to Panama in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League, bluntly telling his players it was not enough to simply show up in the national team shirt and expect to win.

"We are USA. You cannot win with your shirt, or you cannot win if you play here, there or I don't know," Pochettino said after the game at SoFi Stadium on Thursday. "You need to show, and you need to come here and be better and suffer and win the duels and work hard.

"If not, it's not going to be enough."

The U.S. dominated possession 66% to 34% but didn't create much in the way of chances, registering an xG of 0.68. Panama created an even lower xG -- 0.10 -- but made its chances count. Substitute Cecilio Waterman scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to claim the win.

The loss ended the USMNT's chance to remain the only team to have won the Nations League.

The win marked the third consecutive time that the Canaleros have beaten the U.S. in official competition, including a victory over the Americans in the 2024 Copa America that led to their elimination from the tournament and the firing of then-coach Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino was especially upset with how the U.S. started, being a little too content to play possession without being incisive.

"The way that we approach the game and start the game wasn't in the right way," he said. "That is why I feel so disappointed, and we all feel disappointed. I think in the first half, we played too slow, so comfortable on the pitch. We didn't show aggression with the ball."

The U.S. perked up after halftime, with Timothy Weah making inroads down the left wing. Substitute Patrick Agyemang had a glorious chance to put the U.S. ahead in the 82nd minute, only for Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera to deny him with a superb save low to his left.

With creativity in short supply, Pochettino was asked why he didn't opt to put creative players like Giovanni Reyna or Diego Luna into the match. He indicated he was waiting for extra time to possibly introduce them.

"We never expect to concede in this moment," Pochettino said. "That is the truth, but [I] agree. We were thinking to give option to play Gio and Diego, but for sure they're going to have the opportunity [next match]."

The U.S. will face Canada, which lost to Mexico in Thursday's other semifinal, in the third-place consolation game Sunday.

Regardless of the opponent, Pochettino wants to see more scrappiness.

"If you don't have aggression, it's impossible because the opponent, [they] know that we are going to play into the feet," he said. "You are going to play safe. You are not going to take risk.

"If you want to play football, you need to take risks, you need to go forward, you need to win duels, sometime 50-50. That is my goal."

The Portland Trail Blazers' Robert Williams III will be sidelined for four to six weeks after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure Thursday to address inflammation in his left knee.

Injuries have been an issue for Williams throughout his seven-year NBA career, and that problem has only been exacerbated over his two seasons in Portland. Since being acquired from the Boston Celtics in October 2023, he has suited up for a total of 26 games for the Trail Blazers.

Nevertheless, the 2022 All-Defensive center remains impactful on the court. In 20 games this season, he averaged 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in only 17.6 minutes per game. That puts him on track to average 11.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per 36 minutes.

Williams also leads the Blazers (minimum 20 games played) in PER (19.0), box plus/minus (3.0) and win shares per 48 minutes (.174).

Portland currently sits in 12th place in the Western Conference, within just two games of the play-in seeding. The Blazers' final regular-season contest is slated for April 13. As such, should the Blazers fall short of the postseason, it's likely that Williams will be done for the year.

The Blazers have a logjam at center with Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan and Williams on the roster. With one year left on his contract, Williams could be floated as a trade candidate this summer.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The New York Knicks remain hopeful that Jalen Brunson can play in a few games before the postseason, coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday.

Thibodeau said Brunson will be checked again Friday, about two weeks after he sprained his right ankle in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday that Brunson is expected to remain sidelined through late March or early April.

"He's doing light shooting and he's out of the boot," Thibodeau said before the Knicks' game at the Charlotte Hornets. "So there's steady progress and we'll see where it goes from there."

Thibodeau said he expected Brunson to play before the regular-season finale April 13.

"Whenever he's ready, he's ready," Thibodeau said. "He's putting a lot into his rehab. That's what he can control right now. So that's where we want his focus to be. Hopefully, he'll get some games where he can work himself back into it."

Brunson suffered the injury against the Lakers on March 6, rolling his right ankle with 1:24 remaining in overtime after landing on the foot of Lakers guard Austin Reaves after being fouled on a drive to the basket.

He is seventh in the league in scoring (26.3 points per game) and eighth in assists (7.4 per game).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Trendon Watford was ejected after scuffling with Indiana Pacers players in the fourth quarter of a 105-99 overtime loss Thursday night.

With 4:48 remaining in regulation, the Pacers scored a basket, then Watford ran toward Indiana's Andrew Nembhard and shoved him. Indiana's Myles Turner ran over and made contact with Watford, and Watford shoved him. Players, team personnel and officials entered the fray, but the incident did not escalate.

Two sets of double technicals were issued -- to Watford and Nembhard, and to Watford and Turner.

Brooklyn led 84-79 when the incident occurred. Indiana outscored the Nets 12-7 the rest of regulation, then 14-8 in overtime as the Pacers won.

"We're preparing for the playoffs," Turner said. "You're going to have moments like that in the playoffs. So to be battle tested, let it not be a surprise and be able to control your emotions when everything's high -- that's an underrated thing in this league."

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was ruled out in the second half of Thursday's 117-114 win over the Toronto Raptors because of a pelvic contusion, the team said.

While driving in the paint with 3:32 left in the third quarter, Curry went up in the air and collided with two Raptors players while passing the ball to Jonathan Kuminga for a corner 3-point attempt. Curry fell hard to the court on his back.

He remained on the floor in pain while training staff looked after him. He gingerly walked off the court under his own power, sitting down on the Warriors' bench before eventually leaving for the locker room.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game that Curry was getting an MRI.

"He thought he might be able to come back" into the game, Kerr said. "We just decided not to risk anything. So, hopefully it's not bad."

Draymond Green said it was a "scary moment" when Curry went down.

"He hit that ground hard," Green told reporters after the Warriors' win. "You could hear it. It was crazy. Obviously a very scary moment for us, for him. Hopefully he's good."

Curry finished with 17 points in 25 minutes.

The Warriors don't play again until starting a six-game road trip in Atlanta on Saturday.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Atlanta Braves signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5 million contract Thursday and subsequently optioned him to Triple-A so he can get some at-bats, given that he has missed most of spring training.

Verdugo, still just 28 years old, received scant interest after struggling offensively with the New York Yankees last season, slashing .233/.291/.356 in 149 games. Once a promising hitter in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system, Verdugo's OPS dropped every year from 2020 to 2024, going from as high as .844 to as low as .647.

The Braves will bring him in despite a glut of outfielders. Michael Harris II is entrenched as the every-day center fielder and Jurickson Profar, signed to a three-year, $42 million deal in January, is the regular in left. The Braves are slated to open the season with a right-field platoon of Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz, but Ronald Acuna Jr. -- the 2023 National League MVP coming off another ACL tear -- is expected to return in May.

At this point, given that Marcell Ozuna absorbs all the at-bats at designated hitter, Verdugo seems like protection in case Kelenic, a fellow left-handed hitter, struggles.