The San Diego State Aztecs kept Alabama’s Brandon Miller out of his game, and it paid off.
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 was the Aztecs’ first win over a No. 1 seed.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The San Diego State Aztecs gather before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM! Center March 24, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Alabama was down five at the half, but went on a 25-11 run to take a nine-point lead. San Diego State responded with a 23-5 run of its own, with its lead, like Bama’s, reaching nine points.
Bama cut the deficit to two points with 46.9 points to go, but that was as close as the Tide got the rest of the night.
Players of the San Diego State Aztecs on the court against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM! Center March 24, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
UCONN BASKETBALL MEMBERS HAVE STOLEN PROPERTY FROM TEAM BUS DURING PRACTICE SHORTLY AFTER HOTEL ‘DEBACLE’
SDSU’s defense led the way to victory. He blocked eight shots from Bama and shut down his best player.
Miller might as well be a top-three pick in the NBA Draft, but it didn’t look like 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 3-point lead.
Alabama Crimson Tide’s Brandon Miller (24) controls the ball against San Diego State Aztecs’ Nathan Mensah (31) during the first half of the NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament at KFC YUM! Center March 24, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
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.