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The Akron Zips men’s basketball team concluded the 2023-24 season with a 77-60 loss to Creighton on Thursday afternoon in a Midwest Region first-round game in Pittsburgh. Akron, the No. 14 seed in the tournament, made its sixth appearance in March Madness. No. 3 seed Creighton (24-9) entered the tournament ranked 11th by the coaches.
The 24-11 Zips — led by honorable mention All-American forward Enrique Freeman — were seeking their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Four players who started for the 2022 Akron NCAA Tournament team played Thursday and helped the Zips to early leads before the Bluejays pulled away in the second half.
Here is how the game unfolded through our live updates:
Akron vs. Creighton live score updates in NCAA first round
Creighton records 77-60 win over Akron in Pittsburgh
Creighton sophomore Steven Ashworth and Akron senior got tangled up with 1:23 to go in the second half. Ashworth fell the floor, Hunter offered his hand to help him up and Ashworth declined.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA tournament brackets, scores, schedules, teams and more.
The refs reviewed the play. Hunter is called for a flagrant 1 foul. Ashworth makes two free throws.
Akron seniors Enrique Freeman, Greg Tribble Jr. and Sammy Hunter all sub out and hug Akron coach John Groce.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott also subs out starters.
Freeman finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Akron senior Ali Ali fouled out with 2:59 to go in the second half as he attempted to grab an offensive rebound. He finished with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Creighton maintains double-digit lead over Akron in second half
Creighton senior Ryan Kalkbrenner tossed down a two-hand slam dunk to give the Bluejays a 70-53 with 5:43 left in the second half.
Akron countered with five points as senior Ali Ali made a jumper in paint and senior Sammy Hunter swished a 3-pointer with 4:01 to go in the second half to trim the Zips deficit to 70-58.
Creighton extends lead over Akron with Trey Alexander, Ryan Kalkbrenner in key roles
Junior Trey Alexander scored on a reverse layup with 10:24 to go in the second half and made two free throws at 9:37 to to give Creighton a 67-47 lead — its largest of the day.
Alexander and senior Ryan Kalkbrenner have 17 points apiece for Creighton.
Akron senior Enrique Freeman had 19 points and 11 rebounds and senior Ali Ali has 12 points.
Moments ago, Freeman’s 10th rebound tied him with David Robinson (1986, Navy) with 31 double-doubles, the most in a single-season in NCAA Division I history.
Creighton pulling away from Akron with a 28-8 run
Creighton led 59-42 after sophomore Mason Miller swished a 3-pointer with 12:30 left in the second half. The 3 gave the Bluejays a 28-8 run after the Zips led 34-31 with 2:44 to go in the first half.
Akron senior Greg Tribble Jr. dropped in a layup moments later to make it 59-44.
Akron senior Ali Ali picked up his fourth foul with 12:46 remaining in the second half.
Creighton builds a double-double lead against Akron
Creighton compiled a 7-0 run to further separate from Akron and force Zips coach John Groce to call a timeout with 14:20 to go in the second half. The Bluejays have outscored the Zips 17-8 in the second half.
Creighton sophomore Mason Miller made 1 of 2 free throws, junior Trey Alexander made a jumper, sophomore Steven Ashworth made two free throws and senior Baylor Scheierman dropped in a bucket during the spurt.
Creighton extends lead in second half against Akron
Creighton extended its lead to 50-42 by the first media timeout of the second half at 15:58.
Sophomore Mason Miller made a 3-pointer to give Creighton a 42-34 lead with 19:11 to go in the second half. Akron senior Sammy Hunter stopped a Bluejays 11-0 run with a bucket, but senior Baylor Scheierman netted a 3-pointer on the next possession to give Creighton its largest lead at 45-36 with 18:22 to go.
Akron senior Ali Ali picked up his third foul with 17:14 left in the second half.
Creighton captures 39-34 halftime lead with an 8-0 run vs. Akron
Creighton finished the first half strong and led Akron 39-34 at halftime.
After the Zips took a 34-31 lead with senior guard Ali Ali splitting a pair of free throws with 2:44 left in the first half, the Bluejays charged back with an 8-0 run.
Creighton made fast-break 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, seizing a 37-34 advantage with 1:30 remaining. The Bluejays extended their advantage to 39-34 when senior guard Baylor Scheierman made a jump shot with 50 seconds left before halftime.
Freeman took a desperation 3-pointer just before the buzzer but missed. He led all scorers with 15 points in the first half. He also had a game-high eight rebounds. Ali added 10 points.
Jay Wright, former Villanova two-time national championship coach, is raving about Freeman at halftime on the TNT studio show.
“I love the kid,” Wright said of Freeman’s effort and play on the court.
Junior guard Trey Alexander and senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 11 first-half points apiece. Scheierman added eight points and seven rebounds.
In the first half, Creighton shot 15 of 25 from the field (7 of 10 on 3-pointers). Akron shot 14 of 32 from the field (5 of 15 on 3-pointers).
Creighton coach Greg McDermott explained during an in-game interview with TNT’s Evan Washburn what allowed the Bluejays to mount a run late in the first half.
“We took care of the basketball No. 1 … and we’re defending a little bit better. … Akron is a heckuva basketball team, and they’re playing really well,” McDermott said.
Akron and Creighton tied 31-31 with 3:28 left in the first half
The Zips and Bluejays were tied 31-31 during a media timeout with 3:28 left in the first half.
Freeman paced Akron with a game-high 13 points at this point. Ali had nine points.
Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 11 points.
Zips tie score 27-27 off Bluejays turnover
Sophomore guard Nate Johnson stole a pass by Scheierman and assisted on a layup by sophomore guard Tavari Johnson with 7:26 left in the first half. The basket tied the score 27-27.
Scheierman wasn’t as kind to Akron a few minutes earlier. He made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, giving Creighton a 27-23 lead with 9:11 remaining.
Creighton leads Akron 21-19 with 11:42 left
The Bluejays were shooting 80% from the field through roughly the first eight minutes and led 21-19 during a timeout with 11:42 remaining in the first half. The Zips started 53.8% shooting from the field.
Alexander led Creighton with eight points. He was 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the free-throw line.
At this checkpoint, Freeman led Akron with nine points.
“Obviously we’ve got to stay closer to Freeman,” McDermott said during an in-game interview with TNT’s Washburn.
Akron and Creighton start hot from 3-point range
Creighton and Akron went back and forth with a barrage of 3-pointers to begin the game, and the Bluejays led 16-14 when the Zips called timeout with 13:58 left in the first half.
Creighton made its first two 3-pointers. Akron started 4 of 7 on 3s.
Kalkbrenner led Creighton with seven points in the first six minutes of the game, using his 7-foot-1 frame and range to gain an advantage.
Freeman led Akron with nine points, shooting 3 of 5 from the field (3 of 4 on 3 pointers).
Below is some pregame information.
An Akron vs. Creighton pregame view from PPG Paints Arena
Who does Creighton play in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32
Creighton advances to play Saturday at a time to be announced in a Midwest Region second-round game against No. 11 Oregon, which defeated No. 6 South Carolina 87-73 on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
What channel is Akron vs. Creighton on today? How to watch, stream live
- TV channel: TNT
- Stream: NCAA March Madness Live app | | Sling TV | Fubo (free trial)
Announcers for the game are Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas, along with reporter Evan Washburn.
Akron vs. Creighton start time, TV info, location
- Start time: 1:30 p.m. ET
- TV info: TNT
- Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Akron vs. Creighton preview
AKRON: Led by MAC Player of the Year Enrique Freeman, the Zips are a veteran team loaded with seniors who have been through a lot together, including a near upset of UCLA in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Guard Greg Tribble is an elite defender, Ali Ali brings a versatile game, and Sammy Hunter, Nate Johnson and Mikal Dawson can heat up shooting the 3.
More on Enrique Freeman:From walk-on to MAC Player of the Year, Enrique Freeman’s March Madness origin story
CREIGHTON: An Elite Eight team last year, Creighton mixes a high-powered offense and strong defense. It upset No. 1 UConn last month. The trio of Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander and Ryan Kalkbrenner all average between 17 and 18 points per game. Steven Ashworth is a fourth double-figure scorer. The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner is three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Akron vs. Creighton, betting line, spread
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday evening
- Spread: Akron +12.5
- Over/under: 141.5 points
- Moneyline: Akron +625 | Creighton -1000
Akron vs. Creighton prediction, game picks
Akron 65, Creighton 62: Akron’s defense-first approach will be tested by Creighton’s high-powered offense. Akron wants to keep the game in the 60s, just like the Zips did in the MAC Tournament semifinals and championship game. If they avoid lengthy scoring droughts, and prevent an extended Creighton run, the Zips are looking at their first NCAA Tournament win.
Akron vs. Creighton injury updates
AKRON: Nate Johnson missed more than a month with a broken hand suffered Jan. 12, but has returned for the past seven games and scored 11 points in MAC title game, his first double-figure scoring game since his return.
CREIGHTON: No injuries to report.
Akron vs. Creighton stats
AKRON (24-10)
- PPG: 74.0
- PPG allowed: 65.9
- FG% 45.6
- 3PT%: 32.8
- KenPom ranking: 117
CREIGHTON (23-9)
- PPG: 80.5
- PPG allowed: 69.7
- FG% 48.6
- 3PT%: 36.1
- KenPom ranking: 11
Akron vs. Creightonchampionship odds
Odds according to BetMGM: (use one of the hyperlinks below)
AKRON: +100000
CREIGHTON: +2500
Akron basketball schedule 2023-24
The past five games of Akron’s 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here
| March 5 | Loss vs. Eastern Michigan 61-60 |
| March 8 | Loss at Western Michigan 90-84 |
| March 14 | Won vs. Miami, Ohio 75-63 (MAC Tournament) |
| March 15 | Won vs. Ohio 65-62 (MAC Tournament) |
| March 16 | Won vs. Kent State 62-61 (MAC Tournament) |
| March 21 | Akron vs. Creighton (NCAA Tournament) |
Creighton basketball schedule 2023-24
The past five games of Creighton’s 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here
| Feb. 25 | Loss at St. John’s 80-66 |
| Feb. 28 | Won vs. Seton Hall 85-64 |
| March 2 | Won vs. Marquette 89-75 |
| March 9 | Won at Villanova 69-67 |
| March 14 | Loss vs. Providence 78-73 (Big East Tournament) |
| March 21 | Creighton vs. Akron (NCAA Tournament) |
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