Louisville basketball fell short to Creighton Thursday afternoon, 89-75, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Louisville struggled to guard the perimeter and the pick-and-roll but also couldn't seem to buy a bucket from beyond the arc throughout the game.
Louisville's 2024-25 historic season is officially over. While fans are slightly disappointed, they know their Cardinals left it all out in Lexington and gave it everything they had. This team has been battle-tested time and time again this season and has had to overcome so much adversity.
The Cardinals might have come up short, but Louisville's effort never quit, and Pat Kelsey and his group kept trying to inch closer but ran out of time. Following the Cardinals' defeat, players were emotional, and the Cardinal All-ACC guard seemed to be the most emotional player in the locker room as his time at Louisville had officially concluded.
Chucky Hepburn's quote will have Louisville Basketball fans wiping away tears
Chucky Hepburn came to Louisville after playing for Wisconsin for three seasons. The point guard from Omaha, Neb., improved every stat this season from last and secured many accolades.
Hepburn would go on to win ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earn a spot on the First-Team All-ACC after he averaged 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. The DPOY would become one of the league's best at picking the opponent's pockets, as he averaged 2.5 steals per game.
Well, after the Cardinals season came to an end, Hepburn was interviewed by the media, and he gave Louisville basketball fans some quotes that made them wipe tears away.
"I just can't believe it is really over," an emotional Hepburn stated. "This is the most fun I've had playing college basketball, and they brought a lot of life back into me."
Hepburn was holding back tears. All college basketball fans are watching and listening to this interview and can only feel for the Cardinals elite point guard. An emotional Hepburn would give a huge shout-out to the 25-strong and the city of Louisville.
"This city, this program, they revived me," Hepburn stated. "Just forever grateful to wear this Louisville jersey.”
Chucky Hepburn very emotional post-game vs. Creighton. Touches on a lot of subjects. His game, this team, the Revival, the fans.
— Mark Blankenbaker (@UofLSheriff50) March 20, 2025
Worth a watch pic.twitter.com/OUhoOTDkLk
Hepburn had nothing but praise for the Cardinals fans and explained the 'send-off' was like nothing he had ever experienced.
"That is one of the most incredible sendoffs I have ever been a part of," Hepburn stated. "It just gave me chills in my body just knowing people were there rooting for us and cheering us on. It sucks because I feel like we let them down, and that is not something you ever want to do, especially when you got a whole fan base like that."
Hepburn's locker room interview would conclude with tears streaming down his face. This team did not let anyone down. This team was the start of something great, and while the Cardinal's drought of NCAA Tournament wins had to wait another year, this team skyrocketed the Cardinal's rebuild and set the future of Louisville basketball up for tremendous success.