March Madness 2025: Louisville fan removed from arena after throwing water bottle onto court during loss to Creighton
A Louisville basketball fan was removed from Rupp Arena on Thursday afternoon after they threw a water bottle onto the court near the end of the Cardinals’ 89-75 loss to Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
With just less than five minutes left in the contest, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey received a technical foul while arguing with an official over what he felt was a missed foul call. When play stopped, a Louisville fan launched a plastic water bottle onto the court near the Creighton bench.
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A water bottle was thrown from the stands onto the court at the end of the Creighton-Louisville game.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 20, 2025
(via @CBSSports) pic.twitter.com/ctPRvySoW3
The bottle was relatively full, too, and Creighton coach Greg McDermott said after the game that he “felt a splash” from it when it landed. Arena staff quickly wiped up the area, and play continued after a very short delay.
A police officer inside the Kentucky arena told The Athletic that the fan was identified and removed from the arena. It’s unclear if the fan in question is facing any legal trouble or further consequences.
“Unfortunate, but you know, it happened,” Kelsey said of the incident after the game, via The Athletic.
The Bluejays, after jumping out to a 15-point lead at halftime, held on late to grab the 14-point win over Louisville on Thursday. It marked the program’s fifth straight opening round win in the NCAA tournament. Jamiya Neal led the Bluejays with 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Steven Ashworth dropped 22 points in the win.
Chucky Hepburn led Louisville with 22 points and six assists in the loss. Terrence Edwards Jr. added 21 points, and J'Vonne Hadley added 13 points and eight rebounds. It marked the Cardinals' first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019. The program hasn't won in the tournament since the Rick Pitino era.
With the win, the Bluejays will likely take on No. 1 Auburn next in the second round on Saturday. The Tigers, who earned the top overall seed in the tournament, took a 10-point lead over No. 16 Alabama State at halftime of their opening game on Thursday afternoon.
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