Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss
ESPN Staff WriterMike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.Mar 20, 2025, 06:15 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions
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