Belief Overcomes All Hurdles, Creating a Final Four That Strains Credulity

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After San Diego State Coach Brian Dutcher snipped the last two strands of the net, he held it aloft like a trophy to admire for his players, coaches, staff and the hundreds of fans who let out a roar for the program’s first trip to a men’s Final Four.

And then Dutcher pivoted atop the ladder, placed the scissors in a receptacle, and with his arms outstretched, leaned back until he was free-falling into the arms of his players.

The Aztecs were as sure-handed with their coach as they were with the opportunities they have been presented along the path to Houston for the Final Four.

They took advantage of a referee’s kind whistle Sunday, with Darrion Trammell sinking a free throw with 1.2 seconds left that was the difference in a 57-56 victory against Creighton. They had also made the most of their chances against top-seeded Alabama on Friday and the good fortune of Furman clearing fourth-seeded Virginia out of their path in the first round.

In that way, San Diego State has much in common with the other participants of this haphazard, helter-skelter Final Four: Miami,

Florida Atlantic and Connecticut.

For the first time since 1970, the Final Four will have three firsttime participants. And though Connecticut is gunning for its fifth championship since 1999 (under its third coach), the Huskies began their run with only one tournament victory since their last title in 2014.

“It’s March Madness, emphasis on the madness,” Matt Bradley, a senior guard, said in a jubilant San Diego State locker room.

A sign of what was to come arrived in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, when Fairleigh Dickinson, a No. 16 seed that did not win its conference in the regular season or the postseason tournament, won a play-in game, which served as a prelude to their upset of No. 1-seeded Purdue.

“Winning our first game and seeing Purdue lose, that gives teams hope,” Bradley said. “OK, anybody can be beaten. What teams did during the regular season doesn’t really matter at this point. It’s just about these games now. I think we took that challenge on. Whoever we play, let’s not worry about what they did before. Let’s see who has the best guys now.”