LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 29 points and had 12 rebounds, Steven Ashworth connected from well beyond the arc on the way to 22 points, and ninth-seeded Creighton beat No. 8 seed Louisville 89-75 on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Chucky Hepburn scored 22 points and Terrence Edwards Jr. had 21 for Louisville (27-8), which improved its record by 19 wins over last season with a transfer-heavy roster under first-year coach Pat Kelsey. It was the Cardinals’ first March Madness appearance since 2019.
Louisville guard Reyne Smith tried to play through an injured right ankle that kept him out of the Cardinals’ last four games.
With 11:37 left in the game, his ankle gave way and Smith collapsed into the fetal position.
Louisville trailed No. 9 seed Creighton 65-52 in the South Region matchup when Smith went down. He missed the Cardinals’ regular-season finale and all three games at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, including their first appearance in the title game, which they lost to Duke.
With Smith curled up on the court and visibly upset across from the Louisville bench, his teammates hugged each other while surrounding him. First-year coach Kelsey knelt over Smith before signaling for a towel.
Smith put the towel over his head, then was helped off the court, barely able to put any weight on his right foot.
The senior from Australia started and played 20 minutes before aggravating his injured ankle. He left with five points.
He finished his one-year career at Louisville with 107 made 3-pointers, second on the all-time made list. He attempted 282 on the year, a new record for any Cardinal.
Spectrum News 1 spent the afternoon with fans at Hoops on Strawberry Lane. They were optimistic throughout the afternoon, but going into the half, fans knew Louisville would have to work extra to catch up.
I'll remember this group as one of the most special groups that I've ever coached.Kelsey spoke of the accomplishments of his first UofL team after the game. He said, “Built the entire team in a very, very short amount of time. They meshed quickly. We asked them to love each other from day one and these guys went all in with everything they had with everything I asked them to do. For ten months and for the rest of my life and for the rest of my career, I'll remember this group as one of the most special groups that I've ever coached. I know they are savvy, they are veteran. They are smart, hard-working, dedicated.”
Louisville had the nation’s biggest turnaround with 27 wins and Kelsey was named the ACC Coach of the Year. It truly was a "reviVille" year for UoL. Kelsey added, “Just been a special, special group. I told them in there, you know, it will hurt bad today. It will hurt for the next several days. It will hurt for a while. But when they event actually are able to have perspective and get above the trees on what they have done and what they have accomplished, they have done some special, special things.”
After a cold start by the Bluejays, Ashworth and Jackson McAndrew (11 points) got hot from the perimeter, with each making two 3-pointers in a 12-0 run.
Ashworth’s 3 near the March Madness logo made it 31-25. McAndrew connected from deep after an offensive rebound, Ashworth converted again, and then McAndrew drained a transition 3 to make it 40-25. Creighton ultimately surged to a 20-point lead late in the first half and cruised from there.
Ashburn finished 4 of 8 from long range as Creighton made 11 of 24 from 3 and 32 of 56 overall (58%).
Neal scored 17 points after halftime to top his previous best of 24 against UConn on Jan. 18. Fifth-year senior Ryan Kalkbrenner added 14 points as he seeks to return to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time of a career that began in 2020-21.
Kesley said, “I'd like to congratulate Coach McDermott and Creighton. They played very well today. They were the better team today. Played in a very, very tough environment being right down the road from our school."
Seeking its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years, Creighton will play either No. 1 overall seed Auburn or 16th-seeded Alabama State in the second round of the South Region on Saturday.
