Louisville’s Reyne Smith re-injures his ankle in March Madness and leaves court with towel over head
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Louisville guard Reyne Smith tried to play through an injured right ankle that kept him out of the Cardinals’ last four games.
With 11:37 left in eighth-seeded Louisville’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 9 seed Creighton on Thursday, his ankle gave way and Smith collapsed into the fetal position, ending his March Madness run. His team also was one-and-done, losing 89-75 to the Bluejays.
Louisville trailed 65-52 in the South Region matchup when Smith went down. He missed the Cardinals’ regular-season finale and all three games at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, including their first appearance in the title game, which they lost to Duke.
With Smith curled up on the court and visibly upset across from the Louisville bench, his teammates hugged each other while surrounding him. First-year coach Pat Kelsey knelt over Smith before signaling for a towel.
Smith put the towel over his head, then was helped off the court, barely able to put any weight on his right foot.
Cardinals swingman Terrence Edwards Jr. said Smith worked diligently to recover in time for Louisville’s first March Madness appearance since 2019.
“Our heart goes out to Reyne,” Edwards said. “We knew he wasn’t 100 percent, but what he did today is something I’ll remember forever. He sacrificed his body and put his body on the line tonight for us, so we could try to come out with the win. He knew how much we needed him.”
The senior from Australia started and played 20 minutes before aggravating his injured ankle. He left with five points.
“I’m just so proud of him, and he’ll get back right for sure,” Edwards said. “What he did for us today is something that will go a long way outside of basketball.”
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