San Diego State’s suffocating defense was put to the test deep into the second half as free-flowing Florida Atlantic got out to a 14-point lead.
The Aztecs found their rhythm to claw back into the game. Then Lamont Butler came through at the very end.
Butler connected on a buzzer-beating jumper for the ages, sending San Diego State to its first national championship game with a 72-71 win over fellow mid-major Florida Atlantic in the Final Four on Saturday night. The 14-point deficit was the fifth-largest comeback in Final Four history.
“I didn’t really know how big it was,” Butler said after his calm reaction to one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history. “We’re going to the national championship. That’s not things many people do.”
A wicked defense was the catalyst that pushed San Diego State (32-6) all the way to their final destination for the NCAA tourney. The Aztecs bumped and harassed opponents all season long to create the first all-mid-major national semifinal since VCU and Butler in 2011.
The Owls (35-4) seemed to have cracked the code to San Diego State’s vaunted defense, using constant motion and ball reversals to create mismatches they could take advantage of.
San Diego State somehow flipped a switch and found its defensive groove midway through the second half, clamping down on the Owls while slicing their lead down to one on Jaedon LeDee’s short jumper with 36 seconds remaining.
When FAU’s Johnell Davis missed a contested layup, San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher opted to forego their final timeout, joking that he did not have any plays left.
All he had to do was get the ball in Butler’s hands.
The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. He stepped back to create a little space and hit a jumper that sent the Aztecs racing out onto the court and had San Diego Padres fans going wild at Petco Park.
Butler’s winning buzzer-beater was the first for the Final Four since Jalen Suggs for Gonzaga against UCLA in 2021 and No. 5 overall. But it is the only one when the winning team was trailing at the time of the shot.
Next up for the Mountain West’s first Final Four team is a chance to win the conference’s first national title Monday night against UConn, which advanced with a 72-59 win over the Miami Hurricanes.
“We’ve always been knocked down,” said San Diego State’s Matt Bradley, who had 21 points after struggling in the previous three games. “But the biggest thing we always do is get back up and keep fighting.”
San Diego State had been building toward this since coach Brian Dutcher took over for his longtime mentor Steve Fisher. Dutcher followed the mold Fisher had designed, adding an extra dose of nasty and fearlessness to the defense.
The Aztecs lost an opportunity when they were in prime position for a No. 1 seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, only to have it wiped out by the pandemic.
San Diego State followed a pair of NCAA Tournament first-round flameouts with a solid 2023 campaign, winning 27 games to earn a No. 5 seed in the East Region in this year’s bracket.
Once the NCAA Tournament got underway, the Aztecs solidified their defense even more, holding their first four opponents to an average of 57 points per game and 17% shooting from the 3-point range.
FAU found an answer through quick, precise ball movement, with the occasional dump into the post to keep the Aztecs off balance.
The result: The Owls led 40-33 at the break after hitting 5 of 11 from distance against a defense that held its previous two NCAA Tournament opponents to an ice cold 5-of-44 shooting from the arc.
FAU kept knocking down shots, stretching the lead to 14 midway through the second half.
Then, with Fisher looking on in the stands, the Aztecs went back to their defensive principles.
Contesting nearly every shot and pass while pulling down a string of offensive rebounds, including six in 59 seconds, San Diego State rallied to knot the game at 65-all.
“They went on a run, getting extra possessions,” said FAU’s Nick Boyd, who hit three early 3s and finished with 12 points. “That was really the turning point of the game.”
FAU kept San Diego State at bay most of the second half thanks in large part to Alijah Martin, who seemed to have an answer for every Aztecs move by scoring 19 of his 26 points in the second half.
He hit an acrobatic reverse layup with 45 seconds left to put FAU up 71-68, but it was not enough to prevent the Owls’ improbable run from coming to an abrupt end.
“These guys have created memories and a legacy that will last a lifetime,” said FAU coach Dusty May.
So did the Aztecs, with one more chance to add to it.
