Fan removed from game after water bottle thrown during March Madness game

This story has been updated with new information.

A fan was removed from Rupp Arena in Lexington during the Louisville men's basketball team's NCAA Tournament matchup against Creighton Thursday afternoon after throwing a plastic water bottle toward a huddle of Creighton players, NCAA officials said in a statement.

Security at Rupp Arena identified the person who threw the bottle and removed them, officials said, adding that they would not be able to re-enter for Session 2 games Thursday night or Session 3 games Saturday. Any potential future penalties against the fan will be determined by the NCAA, Rupp Arena officials or both.

The University of Kentucky Police Department does not plan to charge the individual who threw the bottle, UKPD spokesperson Dani Jaffe said in a statement.

The bottle landed on the floor moments after Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey was issued a technical foul with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

The bottle did not hit anyone on the court or cause any injuries, Jaffe said, but it left water spilled on the court that caused a stoppage for several minutes.

"That was a full bottle of water too. That was very dangerous, and it went right over the Creighton bench," CBS Sports commentator Brian Anderson said during the broadcast. "Whoever did that should never be allowed to come into this arena again."

Play continued following the clean-up, with Louisville losing the contest 89-75.

This story may continue to update.

Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at [email protected] or @bkillian72 on X.