Coach Brian Dutcher’s success with the San Diego State Aztecs men’s basketball team cannot be ignored. He’s helped take the program to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments now, but for the first time in the team’s 54-year history, the Aztecs are headed to the Final Four.
It took a wire-to-wire effort to defeat the sixth-seeded Creighton Bluejays, which included an odd and controversially confusing ending, but ultimately, the Aztecs advanced thanks to their 57-56 victory.
It came down to the final moments, with Darrion Trammell earning a trip to the free throw line in the waning seconds. Trammell, a senior guard, stepped to the line with a tie game at 56 points apiece and proceeded to miss his first attempt, leading to a mild explosion from the crowd on hand at the KFC Yum Center. Yet, Trammell managed to sink his second and final attempt, which proved to be the final basket of the game, which was enough to send the Aztecs to the next round.
The Aztecs are now the first-ever men’s college basketball team to emerge from the Mountain West Conference and reach the Final Four portion of March Madness. But they’re not the only Cinderella team to reach the Final Four after the Florida Atlantic Owls defeated all odds to make it to Houston for next weekend’s matchups.
While the Aztecs and Owls may be far from favorites to win the NCAA Tournament, they certainly have plenty of fans rooting for the underdogs to maintain their current momentum.
Related: Florida Atlantic Owls clinch first Final Four appearance in program’s 30-year history