PITTSBURGH — The Akron Zips have yet to hop over the proverbial NCAA Tournament hump.
The 14th-seeded Zips were rejected in their latest March Madness appearance, falling 77-60 to the No. 3 Creighton Bluejays in a Midwest Region first-round game Thursday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena.
Akron dropped to 0-6 in Division I NCAA tourney games (1986, '09, '11, '13, '22 and '24).
Led by honorable mention All-America forward Enrique Freeman , Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Akron nearly upset UCLA two years ago.
But experiencing the 2022 NCAA Tournament did not translate to success for UA (24-11) in a high-stakes scenario against Creighton (24-9). The Bluejays made the Elite Eight last year and look the part of a team capable of another deep run.
Creighton will advance to a second-round showdown with No. 11 Oregon , which defeated No. 6 South Carolina 87-73 later Thursday in Pittsburgh.
Freeman is a phenomenal player. Yet, at 6 feet, 7 inches, he's not a prototypical post presence. Creighton senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner gave Freeman and UA problems on both ends of the floor.
The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner compiled 23 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Junior guard Trey Alexander added 19 points for Creighton, which finished 26-of-46 shooting (56.5%) from the field (10 of 17 on 3-pointers) and won the rebounding battle 38-26.
Freeman led Akron with 21 points and 14 rebounds. UA senior guard Ali Ali added 14 points. The Zips were 25-of-66 shooting (37.9%) from the field (6 of 28 on 3-pointers).
After engaging in a back-and-forth battle, Akron trailed 39-34 at halftime. Creighton created the separation by mounting an 8-0 run to end the first half.
The Bluejays extended their run to 11-0 with a 3-pointer early in the second half by sophomore guard Mason Miller , the son of former NBA player Mike Miller , who spent time with the Cavaliers. The Zips remained in striking distance for a bit, trailing 49-42 when sophomore guard Nate Johnson made a jump shot with 16:36 left.
However, Creighton's firepower left Akron disjointed at times. The Bluejays went ahead 59-42 amid a 28-8 run they started late in the first half. Miller's 3-pointer with 12:29 remaining gave Creighton the 17-point lead. Moments earlier, Ali checked out of the game after picking up his fourth foul with 12:46 left. He eventually fouled out with 2:59 left.
Akron encountered a 20-point deficit, its largest of the game, when Alexander made two free throws with 9:37 remaining.
UA rallied to trail 70-58 when senior forward Sammy Hunter made a 3-pointer just before a media timeout with 3:58 left. Creighton regrouped, though, and held off Akron.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron vs Creighton in March Madness: Enrique Freeman scores 21 in loss
