The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Men’s NCAA Tournament roundup
• Darrion Trammell and San Diego State used a dominant defensive performance to knock top overall seed Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament, bottling up All-America freshman Brandon Miller in a 71-64 victory in the Sweet 16. Trammell scored 21points while Miller, whose outstanding season was marred by offthe-court complications, was held to nine points on 3-of-19 shooting and had six turnovers. The fifth-seeded Aztecs (306) will face either Creighton or Princeton on March 26in the West Region final as they seek their first Final Four in program history. With fellow No. 1seeds Purdue and Kansas losing during the tournament’s first weekend, Houston — which played Miami on Friday night — was the only top-seeded team remaining.
San Diego State trailed, 48-39,
San Diego State forward Keshad Johnson shoots against Alabama forward Noah Clowney on March 24 in Louisville, Ky. midway through the second half before going on a 12-0run and controlling the game from there. The Aztecs finished with eight blocked shots — five by Nathan Mensah — and forced 14 turnovers.
The March Madness run of Alabama (31-6) was clouded by its response to the Jan. 15 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman in Tuscaloosa, which led to capital murder charges against a then-Crimson Tide player, Darius Miles.
Miller was at the scene of the shooting and has not been charged, but police have said in court documents that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun. Authorities have said Miller is a cooperating witness, and he did not miss any playing time. Miller has received armed security protection during the tournament.
• Nijel Pack and Miami hit shots from near and far against the stingiest defense in the country to beat Houston, 8975, in the Sweet 16, leaving the NCAA Tournament without a single No. 1 seed among its final eight teams for the first time since seeding began in 1979.
Miami (28-7), only the fifth team this season to score at least 70points against Houston (33-4), will play secondseeded Texas or No. 3seed Xavier in the Midwest Region final for the chance to go to the Final Four.
The fifth-seeded Hurricanes reached a regional final for the second straight year just a few hours after Miami’s ninthseeded women’s team hung on to beat Villanova and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time. Miami and UConn are the only schools with teams remaining in both tournaments. This is the first time in three years Houston didn’t make it to the Elite Eight.
• The Princeton-Creighton game was not completed in time for this edition.
• The Xavier-Texas game was not completed in time for this edition.