The San Diego State men’s basketball team had a daunting task at the March Madness tournament on Friday and they pulled off a big upset, beating overall No. 1 seed Alabama 71-64.
San Diego's Darrion Trammell was the leading scorer, dropping in 21 points.
It is the first time in school history that the Aztecs have advanced to the Elite Eight.
The Aztecs used suffocating defense to beat the team expected to get to the championship game of college basketball's biggest tournament.
While the two teams battled it out in Louisville, Kentucky, hundreds of fans still crowded into the Aztecs home arena for a free watch party.
“To be here is just building community with other fans,” said sophomore Sophia Ortega before being interrupted by the cheer of the crowd. “See! Like its hype to be here and support.”
While the fifth ranked Aztecs already won two games in the tournament, Alabama was by far their toughest opponent.
Still, most fans at Viejas Arena embraced the underdog status.
“The country will realize that we do belong in the Big Game and that's what I look forward to. This is our year,” said SDSU basketball fan Raul Garcia just ahead of the game.
This was SDSU’s third Sweet 16 appearance in program history and their first since 2014.
“I know we've done good in the past but it's nice to be here as a student and see it happen live,” Ortega said.
The crowd was going wild during the back and forth game between the two teams.
The Aztecs will take on either Creighton or Princeton in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
