Final Four

No. 5-seed San Diego State put the defensive clamps on No. 6-seed Creighton in the second half, limiting the Bluejays to 27.5 percent shooting, ...

Officials reviewed the play and determined that time had expired, and the celebration was on for the Aztecs. San Diego State proved again that defense matters, especially since the Aztecs also scuffled for points. [Darrion Trammell](/sports/mens-basketball/roster/darrion-trammell/7740) converted a go-ahead free throw after he was fouled on a floater with 1.2 seconds left, and San Diego State muscled its way into its first Final Four, grinding out a 57-56 victory over Creighton on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament's South Region final. With the game tied at 56-all on San Diego State's final possession, Trammell drove toward the free-throw line, elevated for the shot and was fouled by Creighton's Ryan Nembhard. The teams didn't appear to share any hard feelings from last year's meeting. "I wasn't given an explanation other than there was no time on the clock," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.

San Diego State advanced to its first Final Four on Sunday amid a final frenzy and officiating ambiguity, grinding out a 57-56 victory over Creighton.

[Lamont Butler](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4433183/lamont-butler) led San Diego State with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting, the only player who consistently found a rhythm on Sunday. "But it was just a war of attrition, and we came out on top." In a town where photo finishes at Churchill Downs are part of the lore, this was a basketball version. Dutcher held a black marker and clipboard in his hands, and he appeared momentarily surprised as the celebration began around him. "Two teams played their tails off, and officiating is part of the game," McDermott said. [Ryan Nembhard](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4433629/ryan-nembhard) slumped at his locker as he attempted to sum up the pain of being on the wrong end of the game-deciding call in No. An NCAA statement after the game said officials "ruled the clock hit zero before the ball touched out of bounds" and time expired. He declined to comment when asked directly about the call on Nembhard, which could have been considered the type of play officials had let go throughout a rugged game. But the Bluejays sputtered offensively in the second half -- shooting just 27.6% -- and never found a way to pull ahead over that stretch. The officials never made a determination of who the ball last touched, as Creighton's One of them also will be a first-time partaker in the national title game next Monday night. "It was a great game," Nembhard said.

The last spot in the NCAA men's tournament Final Four was decided when Miami defeated Texas in the championship game of the Midwest Regional.

Terry was overcome with emotion during the postgame press conference. 4 seed Connecticut in a semifinal game at the Final Four in Houston. The school fired Beard Jan. Rodney Terry took over the team on an interim basis after former head coach Chris Beard was arrested Dec. Miller matched Duke's Christian Laettner as the only player in a tournament game to attempt seven or more field goals and free throws without a miss. Texas reached the Elite Eight for only the second time since 2008 despite a tumultuous midseason coaching change.

Miami rallied from 13 points down to beat Texas, while a foul and a free throw gave San Diego State a win over Creighton. They join UConn and Florida ...

When the game was over, their two sons exchanged a hug in the handshake line and Seiko told Kaluma he loved him. The Bluejays missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the half. Baylor Scheierman, who played quarterback in high school, inbounded the ball and threw a long pass toward Kaluma and San Diego State’s Aguek Arop near the other endline. Back in November, when Creighton set out for the Maui Invitational, the Bluejays stopped in San Diego and the next day shared a charter jet to Hawaii with the San Diego State team. Memories of Creighton’s overtime win over San Diego State in the first round of the men’s N.C.A.A. The officials, though, waved both teams back to their benches and reviewed the play to see who had touched the ball last and whether there was any time left. But Creighton didn’t allow another basket and carried a 33-28 lead into the break. Trammell drove to the lane with Ryan Nembhard on his right hip and let loose a floater that just grazed the rim as the buzzer sounded. The game was so thick with turns and tension that it did not end until well after what turned out to be the final buzzer. Miami, trailing and listless for much of the first 30 minutes of its round-of-8 game against Texas on Sunday, mounted a stunning, compact comeback in the men’s N.C.A.A. Norchad Omier, a sophomore forward, hit two of them when the game was tied with a minute left. They join UConn and Florida Atlantic in the national semifinals.

The firsts keep piling on in this historic run for San Diego State University. The Aztecs are headed to the Final Four following Sunday's thrilling revenge win ...

In his five-plus seasons as head coach, he has led the Aztecs to five conference titles, a 149-46 (76.4 percent) overall record and has already been named the national coach of the year and twice named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. Of the programs to have advanced to the Elite 8, San Diego State has traveled 4,482.7 miles (First & Second Round and the Sweet 16 & Elite 8), which is more than 1,500 miles further than any other program to reach this point in the event (Miami is second at 2,892.6 miles). Since the start of the 2010-11 season, no program in the state of California has more 30-win seasons than San Diego State's four (2010-11, 2013-14, 2019-20 & 2022-23). San Diego State owns the third-best record in the nation, 106-22 (82.8 percent), since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. This is SDSU's 10th tournament appearance in the last 13 seasons in which a champion has been crowned. The two-time Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, in his sixth season leadinng the program had a likely appearance in the 2019-20 event (San Diego State was 30-2 and projected as a No. 2 seed), which was canceled because of the COVID pandemic. The Aztecs will face the No. This is the fourth NCAA appearance for Brian Dutcher as head coach. The firsts keep piling on in this historic run for San Diego State University. Trammell made one of his two free throw attempts to put the Aztecs up 57-56. In 2022's NCAA tournament first round, Creighton rallied from a five-point deficit to beat SDSU 72-69.

FAU may seem like a Cinderella, but 35-3 is no accident and the Owls have what it takes to win the national championship.

They're already guaranteed to have the most wins of any team in the sport. This team is capable of winning the national championship. This has been one of the best teams in college basketball the whole season. The guy who was most heavily recruited by [Marist](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/MARIST/marist-red-foxes/) but signed to FAU during COVID restrictions and barely lasted 14 days in a hotel quarantine before staying on. FAU to the Final Four happens because of guys like Davis. The last team to make the Final Four in the same year it won its first tournament game: George Mason (2006). FAU is the story of this tournament. Once upon a time, Martin had a Photoshop made to commit to [McNeese State](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/MCNSE/mcneese-state-cowboys/). College basketball collectively hasn't been this old (due to the COVID bonus year) in decades. In the macro, this is all incredible and obviously unlikely. These birds of prey are hooting, hollering and will swoop down to [Houston](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/teams/HOU/houston-cougars/) for the Final Four afraid of nobody. [March Madness](/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/) story — but this team is no underdog and it is no Cinderella.