WATCH: Darrion Trammell gets emotional, at loss for words following San Diego State's Final Four berth
San Diego State is headed to Houston. The Aztecs had to battle with Creighton all game long, specifically by coming back from eight points back, but, eventually, SDSU did what they needed to do to put themselves in position to win their Elite Eight matchup in the final moments.
Following the victory, senior guard Darrion Trammell was naturally emotional after hitting the game-winning free throw to send his team to the Final Four. He said that moment came from a belief in himself and his desire to accomplish this for his family, specifically his grandfather and his late brother.
“It’s all about believing in yourself. I feel like I put in the work. I had nothing to be nervous about,” Trammell said. “It’s just a game. I’m doing this for my family back home, my grandpa, my brother who I lost. I’m just doing it for them.”
Trammell finished the game with 12 points and five rebounds. However, nothing he did, or has done in his career for that matter, was as big as what he did in the final seconds. With less than a second left, he earned himself a foul call after driving down the lane with the game tied at 56. He did miss the first but, after collecting himself, he stepped up to the line and nailed the second.
The Aztec’s first-ever trip to the Final Four is now the next step on his journey. For Trammell, though, he’s just overjoyed he could give this to his team. He just got to realize a dream in front of the college basketball world, which is why he was nearly speechless postgame on the court in Louisville.
“This is my journey, what I’ve been through,” said Trammell. “It’s just a blessing to be here and to be able to have the opportunity to knock down those free throws for my brothers so we can celebrate.”
“I’ve been dreaming of this my whole life. I’m just grateful to be here, appreciate everyone for believing in me,” Trammell said. “I’m just super excited right now. I can’t even put this into words.”
Gene Steratore breaks down controversial foul in Creighton vs. San Diego State
Creighton and San Diego State’s matchup came down to the final seconds. That’s when a controversial foul put the Aztecs on the foul line. The Aztecs had the ball for the final shot with the game tied at 56-56. From there, Darrion Trammell got a good look from just above the free-throw line. While his shot missed the mark, the referee then called a foul on Creighton for making contact with his hip.
The game’s final score came at the free throw line as a result and the Aztecs reached their first Final Four appearance in school history.
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore spoke during the broadcast about why the officials called the foul in the first place. He went on to explain the finer details of what officials are doing at the video monitor while reviewing calls like the one on Sunday.
“In these situations, what they’ll do is review back and look when the contact was initiated,” explained Steratore. “As Jimmy said, I think he’s right, it’s the left hand on the hip [that was called a foul]. So really when that contact basically starts to occur…once a restriction or a foul has been decided upon? That’s when they’ll go back. My early look on that looks to be about 1.2 seconds.”