Three-hundred and seventy-four days after the San Diego State University men’s basketball team lost an overtime heartbreaker to the Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Aztecs got their revenge on Sunday by beating the Bluejays 57-56 in the Elite Eight and booking a trip to the Final Four for the first time.
The team was led in scoring by guard Lamont Butler who finished with 18 points followed by teammate Darrion Trammell who finished with 12 points and made the game-winning free-throw with 1.2 seconds left after getting fouled by Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard.
“It’s all about believing in yourself,” said Trammell. “I feel like I’ve put in the work, I had nothing to be nervous about. It’s just my journey and what I’ve been through, it’s just a blessing to be here.”
Trammell was in tears when giving his comments after the game to CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn while standing next to SDSU coach Brian Dutcher. “I’m doing this for my family and the people back home. My grandpa, my brother who I lost. I’m just doing it for them,” he added.
The victory sets up a meeting with the ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic Owls at NRG Stadium in Houston on April 1. The furthest the SDSU men’s basketball team ever got in the NCAA tournament was the Sweet Sixteen, but never made it past that point with the last visit coming in 2014.
In 2011, the team was led by two-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs (2014) and Toronto Raptors (2019) Kawhi Leonard, who also won finals MVP both times, but fell to eventual tournament champion Connecticut Huskies 74-67 in the NCAA tournament.
“I’m sure there were people that doubted we could do it but we never doubted for a minute,” said SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher. “Not to say it was easy to get there or that we would ever get there, but we’re there now and we’re going to go and try to win the thing.”
The winner of the San Diego State game against Florida Atlantic game will take on the winner of the Connecticut Huskies versus Miami Hurricanes game in the championship match on April 3. If SDSU and Connecticut advance, it will set up the perfect chance for the Aztecs to exorcise the demons of 2011 when the team finished 34-3 overall.
