American Football

Lamont Butler hits Final Four buzzer-beater to push San Diego State over Florida Atlantic

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San Diego State took their only lead of the second half at the buzzer.

San Diego State and Florida Atlantic always felt like an incredibly odd and unlikely matchup in the Final Four of the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament, but fans had reason to believe this would be a great game. The FAU Owls weren’t exactly a Cinderella despite being a No. 9 seed, but had been winning by tight margins throughout their March Madness run. San Diego State rode one of the country’s best defenses to a national semifinal berth, but needed a controversial but correct call to win their Elite Eight game vs. Creighton.

The Aztecs vs. the Owls lived up to the hype. The game came down to the final possession, and SDSU junior guard Lamont Butler turned into the hero. Up one with 10 seconds left, FAU missed a layup and gave the Aztecs one last chance for the win. Butler came down the right side of the floor, and hit a pull-up jumper at the buzzer to give San Diego State a 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic that advances the Aztecs to the national championship game for the first time in program history.

Watch Butler’s game-winning shot here:

LAMONT BUTLER WINS IT AT THE BUZZER

THE AZTECS ARE #NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP BOUND #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/2sqxu5g05j

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2023

Here’s a courtside view of the game-winner from reporter John Fanta:

LAMONT. BUTLER. FOR THE WIN.

SAN DIEGO STATE TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. pic.twitter.com/GPxOLPsFZn

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 2, 2023

How often do you see a true buzzer-beater in the Final Four? What a moment for San Diego State. It’s just heartbreaking for FAU.

It was pure jubilation from SDSU on the court.

THE SCENES OF MARCH #MarchMadness @Aztec_MBB pic.twitter.com/hPZp2vDN8J

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2023

Broadcaster Charles Barkley couldn’t believe the shot:

Chuck couldn’t believe it #MFinalFour @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/xumjsgEGY1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2023

Here’s a photo of the game-winning shot, via Getty Images:

No team had ever won an Elite Eight and Final Four game by one point, until now.

San Diego State is the first team to win both its Elite 8 game and National Semifinal game by exactly one point.

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) April 2, 2023

Butler’s shot gave San Diego State its only lead of the second half. Florida Atlantic led by as many as 14 points earlier in the game. Unbelievable.

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