Creighton vs. Louisville: A Historical and Statistical Preview of the NCAA Tournament Matchup

As March Madness heats up, the Louisville Cardinals and the Creighton Bluejays are set to face off in a highly anticipated NCAA Tournament game. This article delves into the history between these two programs, key statistics, and factors that could determine the outcome of their matchup.

A Brief History

The Cardinals and Bluejays have only met three times in their programs' histories. Creighton holds a 2-1 series lead. Their most recent encounter was in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, where Creighton emerged victorious 62-58. The first match was in 1974 in the NCAA Tournament, where Creighton won 80-71. Louisville will be looking to even the score and advance in the tournament, while Creighton aims to continue their dominance in the series.

Louisville's Road to the Tournament

Louisville basketball fans have been waiting for this moment, as the Cardinals have not been in the Big Dance since 2019. The Cardinals will look to bounce back from their ACC Tournament loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game. Despite the loss, Louisville has been dominant for the last three months of basketball, winning 21 of their last 23 games, including two wins over Clemson.

Louisville's Strengths

Ability to Adjust: Louisville has not suffered consecutive losses since December 3, showcasing their ability to learn from mistakes and bounce back strong. The Cardinals are 4-2 after a loss this season, while Creighton is 5-4.
Dominance with Rest: The Cardinals are 8-2 when they have four or more days of rest this season, with a margin of victory of 11.2 points per win. Louisville's last game was Saturday, giving them four rest days ahead of their NCAA Tournament debut.
Odds Favor the Cardinals: Louisville has been the favorite in 26 games this season, with a 22-4 record in those games. Louisville has won 19 games this season by double digits, including eight games by 20 points or more. The Cardinals are ranked No. 10 in the nation and No. 23 in the NET rankings.
Common Opponent: Louisville and Creighton played one common opponent this year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Louisville dominated in a 75-60 victory, while Creighton won 80-76.
Historic Starting Lineup: Louisville's starting lineup has made history this season, with four players scoring 30 points or more in four games. The Cardinals are the only team to achieve this accomplishment this season, and it was the first time in program history.

Key Players for Louisville

Terrence Edwards Jr.: Leads the Cardinals in scoring with 16.6 points per game.
Chucky Hepburn: Adds 16.2 points per game and is the team's facilitator on both ends of the floor.
Reyne Smith: A lethal shooter who is returning from injury, adding 13.4 points per game.
J'Vonne Hadley: An "X" factor who contributes in multiple ways, scoring in transition, getting steals, and fighting for rebounds, adding 12.1 points per game.
James Scott and Noah Waterman: Provide inside presence, with Scott excelling in pick-and-rolls and Waterman stretching the floor with his three-point shooting.

Potential Challenges for Louisville

Louisville basketball must shoot well from beyond the arc to open their driving lanes.

Creighton's Path to the Tournament

Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament 10 times in Greg McDermott’s 15 years as head coach, including the last five in a row. Despite a 7-5 start to the season and the loss of their top scoring guard, Pop Isaacs, the Bluejays finished second in the Big East with a 15-5 record.

Creighton's Strengths

Creighton is 6-8 against teams in the NCAA Tournament field, including two wins over UConn and one each against Kansas, St. John’s, Xavier, and Marquette. Creighton has won at least one game in 13 of its last 15 postseason appearances.

Key Players for Creighton

Steven Ashworth: A key guard who needs to avoid shooting slumps to ensure Creighton's success.
Ryan Kalkbrenner: A crucial player inside who will need to be defended by James Scott and Noah Waterman.

Potential Challenges for Creighton

Carelessness with the ball and live-ball turnovers that Louisville converts into points will be hard to overcome.

Venue and Atmosphere

The game will take place in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, which is just an hour away from Louisville's KFC Yum! Center. This means the Cardinals will essentially be playing in their backyard, which could give them a significant advantage.

Creighton's Perspective

Creighton is preparing for a road game environment, with the expectation of a hostile crowd. They believe their experience in the Big East championship, which felt like a road game, has prepared them for this.

Coaching Matchup

Pat Kelsey (Louisville): Holds an 0-4 record in his fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.
Greg McDermott (Creighton): Has led Creighton to the NCAA Tournament 10 times in 15 years.

Historical Significance

Louisville is making its 40th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cards have reached the Sweet 16 on 17 occasions and have advanced to the Elite Eight 11 times. Louisville is seventh in NCAA Tournament appearances (40), 11th in tournament victories (61) and 10th in tournament games (102).

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Expert Opinions and Predictions

Louisville is favored by 2.5 points in Vegas, though ESPN’s BPI gives Creighton 52.4% odds of winning.

Other Facts About Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Team

The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represents the University of Louisville (U of L) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I. The team's first season was in 1911. As of the end of the 2015-16 season, Louisville had an all-time 1778-892 record in 102 seasons of intercollegiate basketball ranking 10th in all-time victories and seventh in all-time winning percentage among NCAA Division I schools. Louisville has made 42 NCAA Tournament appearances (5th all-time) and 15 NIT appearances. The Cardinals have reached the NCAA Tournament 32 of the last 40 years (12 of the last 15, 14 of the last 18 years, 20 of last 25). Since the NCAA began keeping Sweet Sixteen appearance records in 1975, Louisville's 21 Sweet Sixteens are 5th all-time behind North Carolina (26), Kentucky (25), Duke (24), and Kansas (22). The Cardinals have reached the Elite Eight on 14 occasions, including five of the past nine seasons. Louisville is the only school in the nation to have claimed the championship of three major national post-season tournaments including the 1948 NAIA championship, the 1956 NIT title, and the 1980, 1986 and 2013 NCAA championships.

Rivalries

The Kentucky-Louisville rivalry has been ranked the 2nd best rivalry in college basketball by Bleacher Report and 3rd best rivalry in all of college sports by Basketball Hall of Fame contributor Dick Vitale. Kentucky and Louisville first played against each other in 1913 but stopped playing each other in the 1920s, playing only twelve times between 1913 and 1983. The rivalry was generally dormant with only occasional matchups until the teams met in the 1983 NCAA tournament. Much like the Iron Bowl, the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry is all the more intense because the two schools have consistently been among the nation's elite men's basketball teams for most of the last 50 years. Both schools are also two of the most victorious programs in NCAA men's basketball history; Kentucky is #1 on the list of all-time winningest programs in Division I Men's Basketball and Louisville #26 (#10 including vacated victories).

While predominantly a football rivalry, the proximity and long-standing conference affiliation of Cincinnati and Louisville made this into a key rivalry, particularly in the days of the Metro and Big East conferences.

Retired Numbers

Louisville basketball has honored five former players by retiring their numbers.

Charlie Tyra #8 - A consensus All-American during the 1956 and 1957 seasons, Charlie Tyra led the University of Louisville to its first NIT title in 1956 and was named the tournament's MVP for his performance.

Wes Unseld #31 - When Wes Unseld ended his career with the University of Louisville following the 1967-68 season, he left as the Cardinals' all-time leading scorer for a three-year player.

Darrell Griffith #35 - The 1980 Player of the Year and consensus first team All-American led Louisville to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, winning the 1980 Championship as he had promised when he committed to his hometown Cardinals.

Pervis Ellison #42 - Ellison won the 1986 NCAA Tournament MOP award after leading the Cardinals to their second NCAA Tournament Championship.

Russ Smith #2 - Smith, the Cardinals' all-time steals leader with 275 and also fifth in career scoring with 1,908 points, was a consensus first-team All-American in 2013-14 after receiving third-team All-American honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Sporting News in 2012-13, when the Cardinals won their since-vacated third national title.

Hall of Famers

Louisville has three representatives in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Cardinal All-American and former Washington Bullets All-Star Wes Unseld, who was inducted in 1988, former coach Denny Crum, who was inducted in 1994, and coach Rick Pitino, who was inducted in 2013.

All-Americans

Twenty one Louisville players have earned 25 All American selections.

NBA Draft

The Cardinals have had 75 players taken in the NBA draft.

Home Arenas

Since the 2010-11 season the Cardinals have played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center located along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville. As of February 7, 2017, Louisville has a 114-14 record (.891) in 6 seasons in the KFC Yum! Center.

From 1956 to the completion of the KFC Yum! Center in 2010, the Cardinals played their home games at Freedom Hall. Louisville had a 664-136 record in 54 seasons in Freedom Hall (.83 winning percentage).

Jefferson County Armory was the primary home of Louisville Cardinals basketball starting in 1945 when Bernard "Peck" Hickman was head coach until the 1957-58 season, when Freedom Hall became their primary home game site.

After playing home games at numerous venues in its early years, the Cardinals moved to the newly constructed Belknap Gymnasium in 1931.

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