San Diego State Comes Back From A Nine-Point Deficit To Shock Alabama, Heads To Elite 8

The San Diego State Aztecs were able to keep Brandon Miller out of their game, and it turned out to be a dividend.

The fifth-seeded Aztecs defeated No. 1 Alabama in the Sweet 16, 71-64.

It is the first Elite 8 appearance in school history, and it is their first win over a No. 1 seed.

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Alabama was down five at the half, but went on a 25-11 run to take a nine-point lead. However, San Diego State responded immediately with a 23-5 run of its own, with its lead, like Bama, reaching nine points.

Bama cut their deficit to two points with 46.9 points to go, but that was the closest they got for the rest of the night.

Players of the San Diego State Aztecs stand court against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at KFC YUM! Center on March 24, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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But it was SDSU’s defense down the length of the court that paved the way for the win: They blocked eight of Bama’s shots and, as mentioned above, shutting down their best player.

Miller could very well be a top three pick in the NBA Draft, but he didn’t look like one on Friday night. The freshman was just 3-for-19 from the floor and 1-for-10 from deep.

As a team, Alabama was only 3-for-27 from a three-point lead.

Brandon Miller #24 of the Alabama Crimson Tide controls the ball against Nathan Mensah #31 of the San Diego State Aztecs during the first half of the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 24, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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Darrion Trammel led the way with 21 points for San Diego State, which now awaits the winner of No. 6 Creighton and No. 15 Princeton.