No. 9 Creighton tops No. 8 Louisville 89-75 for 5th straight March Madness-opening win

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — 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.

“We felt like we had to win the 3-point-line battle," McDermott said, "so we did what we could to force them into 2s, and if they shot 3s that they’d be challenged. I think for the most part we were able to do that.”

Seeking its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years, Creighton will play No. 1 overall seed Auburn, an 83-63 winner over 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.

“They played well today. They were the better team,” Kelsey said.

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.

“It was one of those moments where you could feel the momentum trying to swing their way and one of those things where you try and stop it,” Ashworth said.

Ashworth finished 4 of 8 from long range as Creighton made 11 of 24 from 3 and 32 of 56 overall (58%).

Neal, an Arizona State transfer, 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.

Key stats

Creighton made 14 of 21 free throws, while Louisville made 7 of 8. ... The Cardinals were 8 of 29 from long range and shot 30 of 70 overall (43%).

Closing the deal

Neal shot 11 of 16, including 2 of 5 from behind the arc, and matched his career high on the boards. He also threw down a vicious second-half dunk and credited Ashton and McAndrew for opening up the floor.

“They spaced the floor for me, and I like to play in space,” he said. “That leaves me a lot of opportunity to go out there and do my thing.”

Smith re-injures ankle

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.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.