Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner helped carry his team to a win over Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, and he even did some heavy lifting after the final whistle blew.
Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot-1, 270-pound senior, had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in 9-seed Creighton’s 89-75 win over 8-seed Louisville. As one of the tournament’s biggest and most experienced players, Kalkbrenner’s teammates will be relying on him going forward.
Following Thursday’s win, freshman guard Fedor Zugic even relied on Kalkbrenner for a lift to the locker room.
Ryan Kalkbrenner out here dishing out piggyback rides pic.twitter.com/FyjbKG0xqn
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025
Creighton has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament the past five years. That type of experience is incredibly valuable in March. Thursday’s matchup was essentially a road game for them at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., but the Bluejays did not seem bothered at all. Cardinals fans were so frustrated that one of them even threw a full water bottle onto the court.
If Creighton goes on to make a deep run this year, Kalkbrenner may have to hand out more piggyback rides.
