LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Darrion Trammell had shot 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 Nembhard when he put up a floater near the free-throw line with 1.2 seconds left in a rugged NCAA Tournament East Region final that was tied at 56–all.
Trammell’s first free throw clanged off 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 victory on Sunday.
Ryan Nembhard (2) of the Creighton Bluejays fouls Darrion Trammell (12) of the San Diego State Aztecs during the second half in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Ky., on March 26, 2023. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Lamont Butler scored 18 points and Trammell had 12 for fifth-seeded San Diego State (31–6), which slowed down high-scoring, sixth-seeded Creighton (24–13) and became the first Mountain West Conference team to reach the national semifinals….