Creighton's Steven Ashworth credits defense, Ryan Kalkbrenner for first half shooting success vs. Louisville

Creighton got out to as good of an offensive start as they could have hoped for against Louisville to tip off the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament. That came from focusing on other aspects of the game, though, and it led to the output they put up in the first half.

Heading into halftime, Steven Ashworth explained the quality of looks that the Bluejays were getting. He said turning defense into offense and also focusing inside out is why they got the good shots that they did, and made, against the Cardinals.

“Getting stops and then getting out in transition, making sure that Kalkbrenner is a real force of the rim. I think they had to overreact to some of his rim penetration and then that opened for skips and open threes, and then a few offensive rebounds, too, were big for kickouts and for threes as well,” Ashworth said on CBS.

It was the kind of start that Creighton fans had to be enjoying, whether back in Omaha or those in Rupp Arena. That included Tommy Jay Ashworth, Steven’s son, who was shown several times on the broadcast during the game

“Yeah, Tommy Jay’s happy over there and he’s enjoying watching his dad,” said Ashworth.

Creighton put up 49 points in the opening half against Louisville. In doing so, the Bluejays shot better than 56% overall and from three at 56.7% FG and 56.3% 3PT on nine makes from distance. Three of their players finished in double figures in Ashworth (13) along with Jamiya Neal (12) and Jackson McAndrew (11) – with that trio accounting for eight of the nine triples. Ryan Kalkbrenner also had seven points in making all of this three shot attempts.

Creighton has had a quality offense this season. Even they know they really got it clicking, though, in their first half against Louisville.

No. 9 Creighton wins over No. 8 Louisville in opening game of 2025 NCAA Tournament

No. 9 Creighton advanced in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament with an 89-75 win against No. 8 Louisville. The Bluejays built a lead as big as 20 points with an offensive output where they shot 57.1% from the field and 45.8% from three. The Cardinals tried to make a run in front of a crowd in their own home state but, after a technical foul on Pat Kelsey and the close of the game, Louisville was eliminated from their first tournament appearance this decade. With that, Creighton now awaits the winner of No. 1 Auburn and No. 16 Alabama State this afternoon for their opponent in the Round of 32.