The Creighton Blue Jays and San Diego Aztecs followed up their NCAA Tournament meeting in 2022 with another fantastic game on Sunday afternoon in Louisville.
While the Aztecs came away on top with a 57-56 win, the large amount of conversation following the game surrounded a controversial foul call in the final seconds of the game.
To set up the scene…
After a Baylor Scheierman layup tied the game up for Creighton at 56-56, San Diego would get the ball with what would for all intents and purposes be the last full possession of the game.
With a foul to give, Creighton’s Trey Alexander would intentionally foul, stopping the clock with seven seconds remaining, which would also kill the shot clock.
After timeouts by both sides, San Diego State would get the chance for an in-bounds play from the left sideline. After the Aztecs’ original play was foiled by the Blue Jays, guard Darion Trammell would take a mid-range floater from near the free-throw line, the original shot missing. However, on the shot, Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard was called for a shooting foul.
Trammell would miss his first free throw before making his second to give San Diego State a 57-56 lead with 1.2 seconds remaining. The ensuing inbound pass by Creighton would be unsuccessful, hitting off several fingertips before landing out of bounds. After an officials review, it was deemed that the clock should’ve expired and the game was over, with San Diego State moving on.
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It wasn’t the movie-like ending that many love to see at the end of an NCAA Tournament matchup but it was certainly an ending that caused its fair share of discussion on social media.