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

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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.

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.

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.