LOUISVILLE — Last fall, Creighton and San Diego State shared a flight to Hawaii to play the Maui Invitational.

On Sunday, in an NCAA Tournament South Regional Elite Eight showdown at the KFC Yum! Center with a first-ever Final-Four berth at stake for both schools, the two shared the national spotlight.

And neither disappointed in what was a gritty, close game throughout — a wild ending that wasn’t decided until the final possession.

When it was over, No. 5 seed San Diego State was the winner in a positively frenetic finish, 57-56. And this time, the Aztecs will fly alone to Houston for the Final Four to play No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic in the national semifinal.

The game was decided on a free throw from SDSU guard Darrion Trammell, who was fouled by Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard with 1.2 seconds remaining. Trammell missed the first free throw and drained the second for the difference.

San Diego State (31-6) survived an unthinkable turnover by Adam Seiko on an inbounds pass with the Aztecs leading 56-54 and 34.2 seconds remaining.

Seiko tried to loft the ball into a teammate and overthrew his target, with the ball landing into the hands of Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman under the Bluejays basket. Scheierman scored made the layup tie the game at 56-56, setting up the stunning finish.