SDSU Knocks Off No. 1 Alabama At NCAA Tournament, Reaches Elite 8 For First Time Ever

By Editor, Times of San Diego

March 25, 2023

San Diego State pulled off a stunning upset Friday, eliminating Alabama at the NCAA Tournament’s South Regional in Louisville.

With the 71-64 win, the Aztecs (30-6) move on to face either No. 6 Creighton or No. 15 Princeton to determine the South Region’s representative in the Final Four.

By reaching the Sweet 16, the team treated Brian Dutcher to his first wins at the tournament as a head coach and now they will take San Diego State to the Elite Eight for the first time. It will not only be SDSU’s deepest run ever in March Madness, but also the most success for a Mountain West team in the tournament.

The game featured two top-ranked teams, but at No. 1, Alabama’s reputation far exceeded SDSU’s at No. 18 and their seeding reflected the disparity. The Aztecs, slotted in as a fifth seed, took on not just the team atop the South Region, but the tournament’s top seed, with a 31-5 record.

Yet in a very physical game, San Diego State more than kept pace with the Crimson Tide, thanks Dutcher told TBS, to “gutty defense and rebounding.”

Neither shot well in the opening half as defense dominated. SDSU held Alabama to 28% shooting and star Brandon Miller to four points in the half, resulting in a 28-23 lead as they went into the locker room.

They also achieved the feat with Matt Bradley on the bench.

The Aztecs’ leading scorer played only six minutes after being called for two fouls in the game’s first nine minutes. Dutcher pulled him and he didn’t return in the half.

Darrion Trammell led the team with nine points and Keshad Johnson added six as the Crimson Tide also kept a lid on SDSU, which shot 32%.

Upon the teams’ return, the faster pace favored Alabama, which tied the game at 30 after a Miller three-pointer and a layup by Charles Bediako.

The Crimson Tide had established an eight-point lead seven minutes into the half, thanks to a jumper by Jahvon Quinerly. In fact, in less than 10 minutes after the break, Alabama exceeded its output in the opening half, with 25 points.

And Bradley, though he logged another foul – Dutcher strongly objected to the call, drawing a technical – was cold, failing to land any of his four shots to begin the half.

But San Diego State turned it around. The Aztecs outscored Alabama 32-16 over last 11 minutes of the game, driven by Trammell, who led all players with 21 points. Bradley, though he only had six, also came through with a jumper and two free throws as time wound down.

“We have experience, we have grit,” Trammell said post-game on TBS. “I mean this is what we’re supposed to do.”

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