Louisville falls in NCAA tournament opener to Creighton 89-75

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.

Coach Greg McDermott's Bluejays (25-10) won their fifth consecutive March Madness opener and beat a team ranked in the top 10 for the second time this season. Louisville (27-8), despite its unimpressive seeding, entered at No. 10 in the AP Top 25.

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.

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, and they ran into a Creighton team with plenty of postseason experience.

Louisville perimeter threat Reyne Smith scored five points in his return from a four-game absence but re-injured his right ankle midway through the second half. 

The senior from Australia was curled up on the floor for several minutes and was visibly upset as teammates hugged each other and Kelsey knelt over him. Smith was helped off the floor with towels covering his head.