No. 9 seed Creighton looks like potential bracket-buster following Round of 64 win

No. 9 seed Creighton (25-10, 15-5) made a massive statement in Thursday's emphatic NCAA Tournament opening round 89-75 win over No. 8 seed Louisville (27-8, 18-2 in ACC).

The Bluejays have a legitimate chance of reaching the tourney's second weekend for the third consecutive season and potentially winning the South Region.

With fifth-year seniors Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton has veteran leaders who won't shrink in upcoming bigger moments. 

Ashworth, a 2024-25 second-team All-Big East member, began his collegiate career at Utah State (2020-23) and transferred to Creighton in 2024. During the team's run to the Sweet 16 last season, the 6-foot guard averaged 15.7 points per game and shot 47.8 percent from beyond the arc.

On Thursday, Ashworth had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The 7-foot-1 center Kalkbrenner has played at Creighton since the 2020-21 season. The four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year averaged a career-high 19.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season. He led the Big East in blocks (2.7 per game) for the third consecutive year and shot 65.5 percent from the court.

During his last nine NCAA Tournament games, dating back to the start of the 2022 March Madness, Kalkbrenner has averaged 18.4 points on 61.9 percent shooting while adding 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while adding six rebounds and three blocks against the Cardinals.

The team around the veteran Bluejays make them a serious threat to advance past East No. 1 seed Auburn (28-5, 15-3 in SEC), which is likely to beat No. 16 seed Alabama State (20-15, 12-6 in SWAC) later Thursday. The Tigers, the top overall seed in this year's tournament, have lost three of their last four games entering their first-round game.

Against Louisville, senior transfer forward Jamiya Neal led Creighton with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He also had team-highs in rebounds (11) and assists (five) as the Bluejays won in the Round of 64 for the fifth consecutive season.

Freshman 6-foot-10 forward Jackson McAndrew chipped in with 11 points while shooting 3-of-7 from deep. The Bluejays were 11-of-24 from beyond the arc and shot 55.6 percent overall.

Creighton looked like a team that had been here before in its Round of 64 triumph. Don't be surprised if it hangs around a bit longer.