No. 15 Creighton rode the momentum of 14 three-pointers to upset No. 1 UConn 85–66 at CHI Health Center in Omaha on Tuesday night. The victory for Creighton marked its first ever win over a No. 1-ranked opponent, and snapped UConn’s 14-game winning streak, which was the longest active streak in Division I hoops.
Bluejays senior guard Steven Ashworth led Creighton with 20 points, which included five made threes, while star center Ryan Kalkbrenner played all 40 minutes and poured in 15 points, five rebounds and four blocks in the victory.
As anticipated, the Creighton faithful rewarded the hard fought victory with an epic court storm.
DOWN GOES NO. 1 UCONN!!!!!!! 🔥🐦 @BluejayMBB pic.twitter.com/iM3iQaGPO0
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 21, 2024
“It’s a historic game for our program,” longtime Creighton coach Greg McDermott said after the game. “I told the team in the locker room, it’s really a culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people over a long period of time to give these guys the opportunity to wear this uniform and play in front of the crowd we were able to play in front of tonight.”
McDermott concluded by complimenting UConn, while acknowledging how good his team is, too.
“We played a really good game and we beat an incredible team, a team that has a legitimate chance to win a national championship. But we’re pretty good as well.”
UConn’s 19-point loss to Creighton was the largest loss by an AP No. 1 team since No. 1 Virginia lost to UMBC in the first round of the 2018 men’s NCAA tournament.
To add to the obscurity, the Huskies have lost 19 straight games on the road to ranked opponents. UConn’s last ranked win on the road came on Jan. 16, 2014 against No. 17 Memphis. Since the losing streak began, the school has won two national titles despite failing to win a road game against a ranked opponent.
UConn will look to bounce back on Saturday at home against Villanova. Creighton heads to St. John’s on Sunday.
