Darian Trammell had made enough free throws in practice to believe at least one would fall when it mattered.
San Diego State’s 5-foot-10 senior guard was fouled by Creighton’s Ryan Neimhard after he put up a floater near the free-throw line with 1.2 seconds left in the NCAA Tournament East Region final. Was tied at 56-all.
Trammell’s first free throw hit the rim, but he knocked down the second, and that was enough to push the defense-first Aztecs into their first Final Four with a 57-56 win on Sunday.
Lamont Butler scored 18 points and Trammell scored 12 for fifth-seeded San Diego State (31-6), which held off high-scoring, sixth-seeded Creighton (24-13) and became the first Mountaineer to reach the national championship. West Conference team. semi-finals.
The veteran Aztecs, in their sixth season under coach Brian Dutcher, will play surprising East Region champion ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic in Houston on Saturday for a spot in the national title game.
“Here we are,” said Dutcher, a longtime assistant to his predecessor Steve Fischer. “We’re taking the next step and it’s something we’ve always talked about. I’m sure there were people who doubted we could do it, but we never doubted it for a minute.
“Not to say it’s easy to get there or that we’ll ever get there. But we’re there now, and we’re going to go and try to win this thing.
In the final seconds, Trammell dribbled from the perimeter and rose up for a potential winning shot. A chasing Nembard got his hand on Trammell’s hip and was whistled for the foul, bringing Trammell over the line for the first time in the game.
“I think I probably shot a thousand free throws last week,” said Trammell, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player. “And then today, I feel like I’ve put in the work to be able to make the steps and I feel confident that I’m going to make them.”
Make one anyway.
Creighton missed a shot in his final, desperate play. Baylor Scheierman threw the ensuing inbound pass the length of the floor. Aguek Erop of San Diego State and Arthur Kaluma of Creighton both jumped for it and the ball went out of bounds. The officials reviewed the play and determined that time had expired, and the celebration was on for the Aztecs.
“I was given no explanation other than there was no time on the clock,” said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. “He didn’t make any calls on the floor but officiating is part of the game and we’re not going there.”
Scheierman tied the game at 56-all when he stole an inbound pass and converted a layup with 34 seconds remaining.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points and Shearman and Kaluma added 12 each for the Bluejays, who went 2 of 17 from 3-point range.
The Aztecs, who got this far thanks to defense and physical play, held the Bluejays to 23 second-half points on 28% shooting as they won for the 14th time in 15 games. Crayton shot 40% overall.
San Diego State shot 38%, but got clutch baskets from Nathan Mensah, whose jumper gave the Aztecs a 56–54 lead with 1:37 left, and Arop, who made two straight shots before that, 3:03. with one left for a 54–50 advantage.
“I’ve done that a thousand times all season, so it was just another shot for me,” Arrop, who had six points, said of his go-ahead jumper. “Obviously, there was a lot of weight involved, but I wasn’t thinking like that. I was just thinking, stay in rhythm, make shots and get my team ahead.”
Creighton, which defeated San Diego State in overtime in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament, fell just short of joining Big East rival UConn in the Final Four.
The teams did not appear to share any hard feelings from last year’s meeting. They shared a round-trip flight to Hawaii last fall for the Maui Invitational, and there was no dust during a tight, physical game in which neither team led by more than eight points.
Field respect
Trammell was part of an all-zone team that included Butler, Creighton’s Kalbrenner and Shearman, and Princeton’s Tasan Ibuomwan.
Perimeter defense
Prior to Creighton, San Diego State produced a similar defensive masterwork against Alabama, the tournament’s top overall seed. The Aztecs held Alabama and Creighton to a combined 5 of 44 (11.4%) from 3-point range, the best 3-point percentage defense ever in a regional weekend for a team advancing to the Final Four.
Divided loyalties
Kaluma played against his brother, Adam Seko of San Diego State. His parents sat a few rows up at midcourt, sitting quietly before joining Seco to celebrate.
Big picture
Creighton’s offense started well enough as the Bluejays built a 33–28 halftime lead and extended their advantage to seven in the second half. But Creighton didn’t make a single 3-pointer after halftime.
San Diego State proved again that defense matters, especially since the Aztecs scrambled for points as well. Their experience and depth showed as Mensah and Aroop, who averaged 6.1 and 4.5 points per game respectively, converted the final three baskets. He and Creighton each grabbed 37 rebounds, but the Aztecs’ 13–9 lead offensively proved crucial.