After beating Clemson in the ACC Tournament semifinals and playing Cooper Flagg-less Duke close in the title game, Louisville somehow found itself on the eight-line in the NCAA Tournament with a first-round matchup against Creighton and four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The Cardinals had a remarkable turnaround in Year 1 under Pat Kelsey and now will look to cement it with a run through the first week of March Madness. While the Cardinals may have gotten underseeded by the committee, they did get one bit of good news on Selection Sunday when they learned that their site was Rupp Arena. The Cardinals and Bluejays will open up the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Louisville-friendlyfront of a Louisville friendly crowd in Lexington Kentucky.
Creighton also had an impressive run in its conference tournament, finding its way to the Big East Final before falling to St. John’s in front of a Johnnies-friendly crowd at Madison Square Garden. Greg McDermott is getting used to hostile crowds in postseason play and will look to overcome one on Thursday.
Here’s how you can watch this Round of 64 matchup and everything you need to know about Creighton and Lousville.
How to watch Creighton vs. Louisville
- Date: Thursday, March 20
- Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
- Venue: Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY)
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Creighton record: 24-10
- Louisville record: 27-7
Creighton vs. Louisville odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Creighton +112
- Louisville -134
Spread
- Creighton +2.5 (-112)
- Louisville -2.5 (-108)
Total
- 145.5 (over -110/under -110)
Creighton injury report
- Fedor Zugic, F: Probable (ankle)
- Pop Isaacs, G: OUT (hip)
Louisville injury report
- N/A
Louisville and Creighton series history
- Louisville all-time record vs. Creighton: 1-2
Creighton vs. Louisville prediction
When Creighton lost Pop Isaacs, a dynamic wing scorer that McDermott added from Texas Tech in the transfer portal last offseason, to a hip injury early in the season, nearly all of the creation responsbility fell to Steven Ashworth. While the Ashworth/Kalkbrenner pick-and-roll is still highly-efficient, McDermott has spent the year throwing darts at the wing spots, and finally seemed to find an answer with freshman Fedor Zugic playing next to Jamiya Neal. While Neal got hot in the Big East Tournament, Zugic went down the final against St. John’s and could be limited with an ankle injury.
Regardless of Zugic’s status, the Bluejays put so much on Ashworth’s shoulders on the offensive end, and while Creighton has a massive defensive presence on the interior, Louisville also has a conference DPOY on its roster. Chucky Hepburn has been phenomenal for the Cardinals, on both ends, but defensively he’s elite at the point of attack, averaging 2.5 steals, and will swarm and undersized point guard like Ashworth. And if Ashworth is limited, Creighton won’t have enough offense to keep pace in this one.
Kalkbrenner could have a similar defensive impact, especially against a Louisville team that’s been so efficient at the rim and in the paint, shooting 67.7% and 47.3% respectively. However, with a motion-heavy attack, the Cardinals can put the big man in conflict, and ultimately Kelsey’s team lives and dies with the three, shooting 28.5 a game.
Hepburn and Kalkbrenner are both elite defenders, but the former will have the more significant impact in this specific matchup and lead Louisville to a first-round win and a potential matchup with the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed: Auburn.