With a monumental win over UConn in the semifinals, Creighton is one win away from its first Big East men’s basketball tournament championship in school history. The game, however, was overshadowed by an on-court scuffle just before the final buzzer after the Huskies took exception to Jamiya Neal’s last-second dunk.
Already ahead by seven, Neal threw down a windmill dunk with 1.5 seconds remaining after the Huskies had already backed off. UConn guard Hassan Diarra immediately got in his face, causing several other players to rush over.
After Neal’s dunk, UConn’s Diarra pushes Neal and words are exchanged. pic.twitter.com/C7upaurX6q
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2025
No punches were thrown, but the stunt unsurprisingly nearly sparked a fight as both Creighton and UConn players collided near the basket. Neal did not appear regretful at the moment — instead choosing to rile up the crowd — but apologized for his actions after the game.
“Yeah, definitely [I regret it],” Neal said in his post-game presser. “I got caught up in the moment of the game. Just a lot of emotions going on, so yeah, I would like to apologize for that. I respect Coach Hurley and those guys over there… I apologize. Just got caught up in the moment there and I shouldn’t have done it.”
Jamiya Neal apologizes for his dunk against UConn as the time expired for Creighton to advance to the Big East Championship game pic.twitter.com/g2GG4DpY64
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2025
Neal’s dunk extended the final score to 71-62 in favor of the Blue Jays. It also bumped him to 19 points in the game, tying teammate Jasen Green to lead all scores. Leading scorers Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth added 12 points apiece.
Although the nine-point difference indicated a close game, UConn’s offensive struggles were much more noticeable. The Huskies shot just 42 percent from the field, as top scorers Liam McNeely and Alex Karaban went a combined 9-for-30. McNeely and Solo Ball each contributed 13 points to lead the team in a losing effort.
Creighton basketball advances to Big East Tournament final
With the win over UConn, Creighton advances to the Big East tournament finals for the third time since 2021. They will face top-seeded St. John’s at 6:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.
While no team has made the tournament as often as Creighton has over the past five seasons, the Blue Jays have still yet to claim the Big East trophy. Since joining the league in 2013, they are 0-4 in conference championship games, including consecutive losses in 2021 and 2022.
Greg McDermott’s fifth shot at the title against St. John’s will be a grudge match after the two teams went 1-1 in the regular season. Creighton took the first matchup on New Year’s Eve with a thrilling 57-56 win, but the Red Storm won the most recent matchup 79-73 on Feb. 16. Not only was St. John’s the top team in the conference during the regular season, but it also boasts the 2025 Big East Player of the Year, RJ Luis Jr., and Coach of the Year, Rick Pitino.
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