Dutcher praised McDermott on a controversial foul call, citing his time as an assistant at Michigan when Seton Hall beat Seton Hall for the 1989 national championship. “Difficult. We all do some grace in losing even if we don’t accept the invitation,” Dutcher said.
San Diego State guard Lamond Butler had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and was poised to take the final shot until Creighton fouled him with six seconds left, forcing the Aztecs to take the ball out of bounds but also running off the shot clock.
Trammell, from Seattle University, scored 21 points to help lead San Diego State past top-ranked Alabama, making just 5 of his 14 shot attempts and never getting to the free-throw line. The final second.
When he stepped to the line after missing his first attempt, Trammell said he reminded himself that he had made 1,000 free throws last week and that the moment was no big deal for him. “I had to believe it,” he said. “With that confidence, yes, I missed the first one, but I’m definitely not going to miss the second one.”
San Diego State, which enjoys a strong home-court advantage, has been a regular NCAA contender in the Mountain West Conference, but has been overshadowed by Gonzaga and Pac-12 Conference teams. Nevertheless, this is the moment the program has long hoped would arrive.
“You picture hope when you sleep, you picture hope when you work, and you hope the dream comes true,” said Nathan Mensah, San Diego State’s 6-foot-10 senior center, who contributed 8 points, 6 rebounds. and 3 modules. “Finally that dream came true for us.”
