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

San Diego State and Florida Atlantic always felt like an incredibly strange and unlikely matchup in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Tournament Final Four, but fans had reason to believe it would be a great game. The owls of the FAU they weren’t exactly a Cinderella despite being the No. 9 seed, he had been winning by narrow margins throughout his March Madness run. San Diego State led one of the best defenses in the country to a berth in the national semifinal, but he needed a controversial but correct call to win his Elite Eight game against Creighton.

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

Check out Butler’s game-winning shot here:

Here’s a courtside view of reporter John Fanta’s game-winning goal:

How often do you see a real buzzer in the Final Four? What a moment for the state of San Diego. It’s just heartbreaking for FAU.

It was pure SDSU jubilation on the field.

Announcer Charles Barkley couldn’t believe the take:

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

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

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. Incredible.