LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men’s basketball returns to the Big Dance for the first time in six years on Thursday afternoon as it takes on the nine-seed Creighton Bluejays down the road in Lexington, Ky., at 12:15 p.m. in Rupp Arena. The game will be broadcast on CBS, the first game of the Round of 64 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Louisville is 1-2 all-time against Creighton, with both losses coming in NCAA Tournament games. The Bluejays defeated the Cardinals in 1974 in Tulsa, Okla., 80-71 in the Midwest Region Consolation game and then again in 1999 in Orlando, Fla., 62-58 in the First Round in the South Region.
The Cardinals are making this 40th NCAA Tournament appearance this year, entering with a 61-41 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament (excluding a 15-3 record that was vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions).
GAME 35
NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND OF 64
Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship);
Streaming (Paul Rogers, pxp | Bob Valvano, analysis)
Watch: CBS (Brian Anderson, pxp | Jim Jackson, analysis | Allie LaForce, sideline)
Live Stats: NCAA Tournament Live Scores
CARDINAL NOTES
This is just the second time UofL has been named an eight-seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1979. As an eight-seed in 1992, the Cardinals went 1-1 in the tournament. Louisville is a perfect 3-0 against nine-seeds, beating them in 1992, 2009 and 2013. Louisville is 53-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when playing a game as the higher seed. The Cardinals are 3-4 when playing in the South/Southeast Region, and are 4-2 in Lexington-based tournament games. Both Terrence Edwards Jr. and Chucky Hepburn were named to the ACC All-Tournament Team for their performances in Charlotte. Senior guard Chucky Hepburn was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year alongside his head coach Pat Kelsey who was voted ACC Coach of the Year. Hepburn was tabbed as a First Team All-ACC selection and AP Honorable Mention All-American while teammate Terrence Edwards Jr. earned a spot on the Third Team. After Terrence Edwards Jr. scored a career high 35 points against Cal on March 5, Louisville became the only DI program this season to have four different players log at least one 30-point game. It’s also the first time in Louisville’s 111-year history that the team has four players with a 30-point game. Louisville has improved from eight wins in 2023-24 to 25 wins in 2024-25, the largest turnaround in program history, improving by 19 wins - it also leads the nation in win differential. Starting point guard Chucky Hepburn was named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year Midseason Team.Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals are one of the most improved teams in the country from the end of 2023-24 to now, accounting for the NET and number of wins. He is also a Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Semifinalist. As of March 18, Reyne Smith is third in the country in 3’s per game (3.53) and 11th in total 3-pointers (106) - he’s 17 made 3’s away from breaking Louisville’s made 3-pointers in a single season record. As of March 18, Chucky Hepburn is seventh in the country in total steals (81), 10th in steals per game (2.43), 19th in total assists (192) and 24th in assists per game (5.8).As of March 18, sophomore forward James Scott is third in the country in dunks with 79 makes on the year, according to Bart Torvik. He leads the ACC in that category and is third on Louisville’s dunks in a single season list. Scott is nationally behind only Creighton’s own Ryan Kalkbrenner who has 103 dunks on the year.
