An Indiana cheerleader was the big hero from Day 1 of March Madness when she rescued a ball the players couldn't reach

• The first day of March Madness had an unlikely hero in an Indiana cheerleader.
• After a ball got stuck on top of a backboard, the players and ref failed to retrieve it.

While many were waiting for a buzzer-beater to be the first major highlight of March Madness, it turned out to be a cheerleader.

After a ball got stuck on the backboard during the matchup between 5-seed Saint Mary's and 12-seed Indiana, the players and officials seemed lost as to what to do.

First a player tried to reach the ball with a mop and failed.

The ref was then reluctant to let a player risk injury by climbing on a chair. so he tried himself ... and failed.

The world needed a hero.

Enter an Indiana cheerleader to save the day.

Bravo!!

Andy Katz quickly caught up with our new hero and asked her about the situation.

—March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 18, 2022