It was early exit for the eighth-seeded Louisville Cardinals, who lost to No. 9 Creighton, 89-75, in their home state of Kentucky in March Madness Thursday.
In the game’s final moments, frustrations boiled over.
Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey was called for a technical foul after screaming at an official, but that was the least worrisome incident.
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The March Madness logo during a First Four practice at UD Arena. (Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images)
As both teams huddled due to the foul, a fan threw a water bottle on the court toward the Creighton bench, prompting a minor delay.
“That was a full bottle of water. That was very dangerous, and it went right over the Creighton bench,” play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson said. “I’ll tell ya, whoever did that should never be allowed to come into this arena again.”
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott used a towel to wipe up the water.
Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 29 points and had 12 rebounds, while Steven Ashworth connected from well beyond the arc on the way to 22 points.
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.
Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott cleans up water thrown onto the court by a fan during the second half of a game against the Louisville Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)
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 Kelsey, a first-year head coach. It was the Cardinals’ first March Madness appearance since 2019, and they ran into a Creighton team with plenty of postseason experience.
“They played well today. They were the better team,” Kelsey said.
Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey jaws at an official during the second half of a first-round game in the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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The Bluejays face No. 1 Auburn in the Round of 32 Saturday. An upset would earn Creighton it’s fourth Sweet 16 appearance in the last five tournaments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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