Creighton, San Diego St. each aim to reach first Final Four
Creighton and San Diego State have dreamed of being in this situation for years. And it's not the first time each team has stood in the other's way.
The sixth-seeded Bluejays and the fifth-seeded Aztecs are each seeking their first Final Four when they meet in today's South Region final. Last year, they met much earlier in the NCAA tournament — Creighton won 72-69 in overtime in the first round.
“It was a game they really controlled for 37 minutes, and then we had an incredible run at the end to get it to overtime and found a way to win it,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said Saturday. “So, besides a trip to the Final Four on the line, I'm sure they've been looking forward to this game as well.”
The Bluejays were one of the final eight teams in the tournament once before, in 1941, but it wasn't called the Elite Eight at the time because, well, there were only eight teams in the entire event.
After Friday's 86-75 win over No. 15 Princeton, the Bluejays (24-12) can truly be called Elite.
All San Diego State (31-6) had to do to advance was beat No. 1 overall seed Alabama.
The veteran-laden Aztecs are the first Mountain West Conference team to reach a regional final and believe they have more to prove after ousting the Crimson Tide.
“Nobody ever believes when you set big goals,” San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee said after the game. “We believe, and that's why we're in the position we are, and just keep pushing.”
The teams have been together once since last year's first-round thriller. They shared a round-trip flight to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational last fall. But only one of them will be flying to Houston for the Final Four.
San Diego State's physical defense held the Crimson Tide to 32% shooting, blocked eight shots and made nine steals. On the other hand, the Aztecs shot just 38%, were outrebounded 52-48 and missed nine of 22 free throws against Alabama.
“That can be really costly in March for sure,” guard Darrion Trammell said. “But just staying consistent and running our offense, playing multiple sides, is something we can definitely work on. Make teams guard us on both sides of the floor to help our efficiency on offense is something that can take a step forward.”
The game pits Creighton sophomore forward Arthur Kaluma against brother Adam Seiko, a San Diego State senior guard. Kaluma described the upcoming meeting as a “surreal experience,” adding that both have come a long way since their previous meeting.
“He plays pretty good defense,” Kaluma said. “He is a good shooter. We can run him off the line, force him to take some tough 2s. Just try to contain him, you know, make sure he doesn't get no open looks.”
Creighton entered Friday's Sweet 16 game against Princeton ranked 41st nationally in shooting at 47%. The Bluejays shot 58.2% to overwhelm the Tigers. San Diego State ranks 36th in field-goal defense at 41% and its last three opponents haven't topped 32% from the floor.
“They obviously just play really, really physical, and that can make up for some height at times,” 7-foot-1 Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner said of the Aztecs. “Going into a game like that, you just have got to know what you are getting yourself into and don't be surprised when they hit you really hard or try to be super physical with you.”
Texas seeks first Final Four in 20 years, Miami its first ever
Texas coach Rodney Terry was not more than 20 minutes removed from a resounding win over Xavier in the Sweet 16 when he was asked about the next mammoth task during what is becoming an improbable run toward a home-state Final Four.
How do you slow down Nijel Pack and high-scoring Miami? “You're not going to let me enjoy this for one night, huh?” Terry replied.
He was joking, of course. Terry and his second-seeded Longhorns — the best seed left in an upset-filled NCAA tournament — have been savoring every moment of March Madness. It began two weeks ago with a run through Kansas to the Big 12 Tournament title on the same floor inside T-Mobile Center, and with a win over the No. 5-seeded Hurricanes tonight, it would end with a trip to Houston and Texas' first Final Four appearance in 20 years.
“This has been a very resilient team all year long,” said Terry, the longtime assistant who epitomized that resolve by keeping the Longhorns together after coach Chris Beard was suspended and ultimately fired early in the season.
“When you play in the Big 12,” Terry continued, “you've been battle-tested. There's not really anything you haven't faced all year long — foul trouble, an injured guy. You just keep playing and keep working.”
The latest injury for the Longhorns involves Dylan Disu, the Big 12 tourney MVP, who hurt his left foot in the second-round win over Penn State. Disu had been a revelation during the NCAA tournament's opening weekend, but the 6-9 senior had to watch most of their regional semifinal win over the Musketeers from the bench in a walking boot.
Terry called him “day to day” on Saturday, though it appears unlikely Disu will be available against Miami.
That won't help when it comes to stopping Pack and Co. The transfer from Kansas State, whose $800,000 deal with LifeWallet made him an early poster child for an era of name, image and likeness compensation, dropped seven 3-pointers and scored 26 points in leading the Hurricanes to an easy win over Houston on Friday night — thus eliminating the last No. 1 seed in the tourney.
Even if the Longhorns and their own spectacular guards, Marcus Carr and Tyrese Hunter, manage to limit Pack's looks in the Midwest Region final, they still have to deal with ACC player of the year Isaiah Wong, ruthless rebounding machine Norchad Omier and a group trying to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history.
“Their guard play is really good,” Terry said. “They share the basketball really well. Their interior players played really well against a really physical Houston team. Nothing but respect for Coach Larrañaga and what he has been able to do over the course of his career. His teams just win. We know we have our hands full.”
Larrañaga has been to the Final Four once already. And if he could take George Mason to the national semifinals, perhaps reaching the same point with what some pundits still carelessly call “a football school” — one that dropped its basketball program for a 14-year stretch in the 1970s and '80s — doesn't seem quite so far-fetched.