Creighton basketball's Jamiya Neal goes off in Dwyane Wade fashion vs. Louisville
03/20/2025 04:44 PM
In the first Round of 64 game of the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Creighton has already busted brackets with its upset of Louisville. Blue Jays guard Jamiya Neal led the way in the victory, hitting a milestone that has not been touched since Dwyane Wade accomplished it with Marquette in 2003.
In the win, Neal posted 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on 11-of-16 from the field. His career game was the first 25-point, 10-rebound and 5-assist game from a player shooting 65 percent or better from the field in the NCAA Tournament since Wade did it in 2003 against Kentucky.
JAMIYA NEAL IS GOING OFF #MarchMadness@BluejayMBBpic.twitter.com/EOfF7RIq1n
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2025
In Marquette’s win over Kentucky, Wade recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He also went 11-for-16 from the field while leading the Golden Eagles to their third Final Four appearance in school history.
Neal nearly single-handedly lifted Creighton to its 14-point upset victory. Four of the Blue Jays’ five starters reached double figures, but none came up larger than Neal, who routinely hit clutch shot after clutch shot when they needed it the most.
Creighton’s leading scorer, center Ryan Kalkbrenner, ended the game with just 14 points on 6-for-8 from the field. Point guard Steven Ashworth finished second on the team behind Neal with 22 points while adding five rebounds and five assists.
The win keeps Creighton’s five-year streak alive of at least one win in the NCAA Tournament. It also sent Louisville home early, who recently had its 11-game win streak snapped by Duke in the ACC Tournament Championship Game. The Cardinals were one of several teams who felt they were under-seeded in the tournament but, nonetheless, will go home after just one game.
Creighton basketball advances to Auburn in NCAA Tournament
The win made Creighton the first team officially in the Round of 32. There, they will likely face Auburn at the Rupp Arena on Saturday. The Tigers face No. 16-seed Alabama State in the Round of 64, a game they are favored to win by 25.5 points. Anything can happen in March Madness, but only two No. 16 seeds have ever won a game in tournament history.
The expected second-round matchup will be one of Creighton’s toughest tests of the year. Auburn entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed after winning the SEC and finishing the year with a 28-5 record. The Tigers are led by forward Johni Broome, whom many believe is the frontrunner for the 2025 Wooden Award.
Auburn will likely enter the game as the betting favorite, as it has done most of the year. The winner of the game will move on to the Sweet Sixteen, where the South region will be played at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
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