Brian Anderson and Jim Jackson are familiar with the lively atmosphere of college basketball during the NCAA Tournament, but they draw the line at water bottle throwing. The first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicked off with Creighton’s victory over Louisville. However, the win was momentarily overshadowed by an unruly incident: during the second half, Louisville’s head coach Pat Kelsey received a technical foul, and a full bottle of water landed on the court during the break. If you only listened to Anderson and Jackson’s commentary on CBS, you would have thought a missile had been launched onto the court.
Brian Anderson and Jim Jackson on the Creighton-Louisville CBS call with an ugly scene in Lexington. Louisville HC Pat Kelsey was called for a technical foul and someone threw a full water bottle on the floor. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/KGXMmWCT7R
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025
“Oh come on, come on,” Jackson exclaimed in disgust after witnessing the chaos. “Somebody threw a bottle of water on the floor. Unnecessary. Come on now.” Anderson added, “There’s gonna be a clean up here. That was a full bottle of water and very dangerous. It flew right over the Creighton bench. Whoever did that should never be allowed in this arena again.” Jackson confirmed that police were on their way to find the offender, emphasizing that players on both sides could have been harmed by the bottle. “That could have done some real damage,” Anderson reiterated after reviewing a replay. “That was a full water bottle, as shown by the ongoing cleanup—water all over this side of the floor.”
This incident might explain CBS and TNT Sports’ choice of Charles Barkley for their March Madness coverage. Barkley has persistently advocated for unruly fans to face consequences, even suggesting that players should take matters into their own hands on center court for five minutes. Based on Anderson and Jackson’s reactions, they might share a similar sentiment.
Though the fan who threw the water bottle clearly deserved immediate ejection and a ban from the arena, it’s essential to recognize the context. The individual irresponsibly tossed a bottle during a break when no players were present on the court. Did they intend to create a disruption? Absolutely—it was foolish. But, after reviewing the replay, it seems no players or coaches were genuinely endangered by the act.
Thankfully, everyone survived the water bottle incident, and play resumed as Creighton advanced to the Round of 32. Having overcome this notable disruption, it seems that Creighton may face little adversity in the remainder of the tournament.
