San Diego State overcame a 14-point second-half deficit and stunned FAU on Saturday in the Final Four as the No. 5 seed Aztecs took down the No. 9 seed Owls with the first buzzer-beater of this year's March Madness.
Aztecs guard Lamont Butler rose up and released a jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to give SDSU a 72-71 final advantage, marking its first lead in the game since the first half to end the Owls' incredible run in the NCAA Tournament,
San Diego State's 14-point second-half deficit it erased marks the fifth-largest comeback in Final Four history. Butler finished with nine points on six shots to propel his team to to the title game after being held scoreless for the entire second half prior to his clincher.
"The plan was just to get downhill," Butler said postgame on CBS of his game-winner. "They played off me a little bit. I looked up and saw there was two seconds left, so I got to a shot I'm comfortable with -- and I hit it. I'm just so happy."
The frantic final sequence came after San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher opted not to call timeout late in the game. After his Aztecs held FAU on a defensive sequence with just under 10 seconds remaining, Butler brought the ball down the floor, got jammed up driving to the rim but was able to pull up on a dime to deliver the win. Instead of drawing up a final play, Dutcher's team was able to take advantage of the mad-dash scramble FAU was in to get back on defense.
"I ran out of plays, so I decided not to take a timeout," Dutcher said on CBS. "I said 'if we get the rebound, let's get downhill.' Lamont got downhill and made the play. I'm proud of him."
The win by the Aztecs puts them in the national title game for the first time in school history. San Diego State will face the winner of Miami vs. UConn in Saturday's other Final Four game on Monday night for the national title.
1. Dutcher lets his guys play
After his Aztecs defense held strong on their final possession, Dutcher -- instead of calling a timeout, drawing up a play and trying to get his team schemed up for a game-winner -- opted to let the game unfold with a timeout still hanging in his pocket. The move was a stroke of genius as Butler attacked the hoop and was able to catch FAU's defense on its heels. Nick Boyd was able to get a decent contest on the shot, but Butler had the Owls on unstable ground and in an advantageous spot -- which he may not have been able to do had SDSU taken a timeout and tried to run a set in the halfcourt.
"It was just a feel," said Dutcher of his decision. "I figured we'd get the ball somewhere around seven seconds if we were lucky. I felt like, at that time, let's just go downhill. I had three bigs in the game. I told them, 'You three guys run to the rim, Lamont you go to the basket, and we'll see what happens.'
"Lamont made a play, and made an old coach look good," he added.
2. SDSU-FAU example of parity
Florida Atlantic, a 9 seed, and San Diego State, a 5 seed, just played 40 minutes of brilliant basketball in a matchup almost no one predicted would happen before the start of the NCAA Tournament. The two teams were first-time Final Four participants after magical runs through March, both wiping out big dogs in the bracket to reach the Final Four.
"There's more parity than there's ever been," said Dutcher. "Hopefully on Selection Sundays they won't ignore mid-major conferences with really good teams. The mid-majors are very good. I don't consider ourselves a mid-major; I consider us a high-major program."
3. Offensive boards huge for SDSU
With its backs against the wall, San Diego State collectively stood tall and began playing with a purpose and with physicality to claw back from its 14-point deficit. That was accelerated as San Diego State banged the boards and created second-chance opportunities with key offensive rebounds, with SDSU adding five second-half second-chance points and nine offensive rebounds in the second half.