Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Video: Heartbreaking Injury In Louisville vs. Creighton Thursday

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 3:47 PM ET

Louisville suffered an unfortunate injury during the second half of its first round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday.

Senior guard Reyne Smith, who played for the Cardinals this season after transferring from College of Charleston along with head coach Pat Kelsey, went down with 11:37 remaining in the second half when he appeared to reinjure his right ankle while attempting a three-point shot from the top of the key.

Smith, who had not played since March 5 with his ankle issue, immediately went down in tremendous pain and was attended to by teammates and medical staff.

The left-handed guard from Australia was eventually helped off the court as CBS cameras cut to emotional reactions in the stands.

An emotional scene as Reyne Smith is helped off the floor pic.twitter.com/koKcBNWhOn
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025

Louisville's Reyne Smith is helped off the court with another apparent ankle injury. #MarchMadness | @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/jsmBuEyj0z
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 20, 2025

Smith averaged 13.4 points and 2.8 rebounds for Louisville this season, shooting 38.3% from the three-point range.

Before he exited the game, Smith scored five points on 1-of-5 shooting. Currently, Louisville trails by 15 points with two minutes remaining.

The Cardinals had a tremendous bounce back season under Kelsey after going 12-52 the previous two years under Kenny Payne. Louisville entered the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record and a runner-up finish in the ACC Tournament.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals ran into a first-half buzzsaw, as Creighton shot lights out to build a 20-point lead and take a 15-point advantage into intermission.

Louisville Cardinals guard Reyne Smith (6) is helped off the court after being injured during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn ImagesCredit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

With the victory, Creighton will move on to the Round of 32, where the Bluejays will face the winner of No. 1 seed Auburn and 16th-seeded Alabama State.

That game will take place on Saturday, with a tip time being released later tonight. In the meantime, you can catch the end of Creighton-Louisville on CBS.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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