March Madness 2025 mystery solved: Why Louisville's James Scott wears Hannibal Lecter-style mask
As the Louisville Cardinals took the court for their first round matchup against Creighton in the NCAA tournament, fans couldn't help but notice one player who sported a sinister look. That would be Louisville forward James Scott, whose on-court mask drew comparisons to one of the most terrifying villains in cinema.
Scott, a sophomore, donned a face covering that reminded fans of Hannibal Lecter, the infamous villain from "The Silence of the Lambs." Scott's mask, which covers both his nose and mouth, is solid black, with bars in front of his mouth to help with airflow. The mask is eerily similar to the one worn by Lecter in the film.
Scott doesn't don the mask to intimidate opponents — though it likely has that effect — he wears it out of necessity. In February, Scott sustained a gruesome injury that resulted in him wearing a mask during games.
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The injury occurred during Louisville's 88-78 win over Miami on Feb. 8. In the first half of that contest, Scott dove to the floor to try and pick up a loose ball. With Scott flat on his stomach, Miami forward Brandon Johnson, who was also fighting for the ball, stumbled and landed directly on Scott. Johnson's thigh made direct contact with Scott's head, smashing it against the court.
— Lou Sasso (@LouSassso) February 8, 2025
Scott walked off the court with a bloody mouth. He was unable to return to that contest.
An emergency trip to the dentist revealed Scott had both his front teeth knocked out by the blow. Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey later said Scott was also dealing with facial fractures, per the Courier Journal.
"They had to pull bone fragments out of his upper lip," Kelsey said. "I mean, it was a mess; and he was texting me from the dentist chair, saying, 'I'll be ready for practice tomorrow; and I'm playing on Wednesday.'"
Despite all of that, Scott was able to return and play in the team's next game just four days after his injury. Scott somehow played 21 minutes, picking up six points and four rebounds in the 91-66 win over NC State while wearing a mask designed at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering on Louisville's campus.
The original mask didn't last that long. It was broken after Scott was hit in the face during a March 5 game vs. California, according to the Courier Journal.
Scott was quickly refitted with a new mask, and that's the one fans were treated to during Friday's contest vs. Creighton.
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