In an emotional scene for the Louisville Cardinals and the program's fans, senior guard Reyne Smith was forced to exit his team's 89-75 loss in its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Creighton after he appeared to tweak an injury he had been dealing with coming into the game.
With under 12 minutes to go in the second half, Smith ran around a screen at the top of the key and attempted a three-point shot, then crumpled to the ground as he was unable to put any weight on his right ankle.
As Smith was sprawled on the court surrounded by Louisville teammates and the program's trainer, an emotional scene unfolded in the crowd, as multiple Cardinals fans, including Smith's mother, looked on with concern.
An emotional scene as Reyne Smith is helped off the floor pic.twitter.com/koKcBNWhOn
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025
Smith, Louisville's third-leading scorer and one of its best three-point shooters, hadn't played since March 5 when he suffered a high-ankle sprain five minutes into the Cardinals' season finale against Cal, which was also his Senior Night. The Tasmania, Australia native had worked tirelessly to play in the opening game of the tourney, though he was clearly fighting through the injury during his time on the court.
After Smith tweaked his injury, there was an outpouring of support for the Louisville senior on X.
We appreciate you @reynesmith ! U were crucial to this #ReviVille run pic.twitter.com/zgZGhaZAmV
— Charron Elliott 🤴🏾🏁 ♊ (@CharronElliott1) March 20, 2025
Reyne Smith is a warrior
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 20, 2025
Salute to him
Brutal to see Reyne Smith get helped off the court.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 20, 2025
Such a great kid, and story. Has had a terrific season.
Smith returned to the bench to watch the final few minutes of the game. In a remarkable show of sportsmanship considering the circumstances, Smith, on crutches, went through the handshake line at the end of the game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Louisville's Reyne Smith Exits NCAA Tournament Game With Injury in Emotional Scene.
