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Louisville's Reyne Smith Exits NCAA Tournament Game With Injury in Emotional Scene

Tim Capurso

Smith is helped off the court.
Smith is helped off the court. / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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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.

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.

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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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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