Texas Longhorns fans started a trend this college football season after the entire student section delayed its game against Georgia by hurling garbage onto the field at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium and seemingly gave the officials time to overturn an interception in their team’s favor. Unfortunately, while this fad stayed in SEC country at Rupp Arena in Lexington Kentucky, it has found its way to March Madness.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament began with Creighton and Louisville. The Bluejays jumped out to a big halftime lead and right as the Cardinals were finally cutting into it in the second half, in front of a Louisville-friendly crowd for this 8-9 matchup in the South Region, head coach Pat Kelsey got a poorly timed technical foul.
Louisville had just cut the Creighton lead to 12 points at 73-61, but failed to pull closer as Terrence Edwards Jr. missed an open three-pointer with just under five minutes remaining. Kelsey nearly stormed onto the court to accost the referee nearest to his team’s bench, and a frustrated Louisville fan responded by launching a full water bottle onto the court.
"That's a joke. Unnecessary."
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 20, 2025
A Louisville fan just threw a full water bottle onto the court. #MarchMadness | @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/2rQKBdWH8p
Unlike on the football field this past fall, the referees did not overturn the call, and the technical ultimately ended Louisville’s comeback attempt.
After a lengthy delay to dry up the water, Creighton senior point guard Steven Ashworth made two technical free throws and with the ensuing possession, Jamiya Neal knocked down a two-point jump-shot to extend the lead to 77-61. Louisville didn’t completely fade away, putting up a valiant effort in the final minutes, but the Bluejays ultimately held on for an 89-75 victory.
Pat Kelsey turned Louisville around in Year 1, improving from an eight-win season under Kenny Payne last year to finishing with 27 wins and one game short of an ACC Tournament title. Kelsey has been a March Madness mainstay between his years at Winthrop and Charleston, but now across five tournament appearances, he has yet to win a first-round matchup. This was his first time as the higher seed.