San Diego State pulled off a last-second win against Florida Atlantic on Saturday night and advanced to the NCAA men’s national championship game thanks to Lamont Butler. The guard made a buzzer-beating jumper as time expired to secure a 72–71 victory for the Aztecs.
After the game, CBS’s Tracy Wolfson interviewed Butler and coach Brian Dutcher about the game plan going down the stretch. Butler admitted he felt “comfortable” with the shot.
“The plan was just to get downhill, they cut me off a little bit, I looked up, it was two seconds left, so I got to a shot that I’m comfortable with, and I hit it,” Butler said. “I’m happy.”
"This is what I came here to do!"
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 2, 2023
Lamont Butler says he was comfortable taking the final shot that lifted San Diego State past Florida Atlantic at the buzzer 👏 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/nr61uUSkkI
Dutcher was asked why he chose not to call a timeout in the final seconds of the game, and he admitted he had run out of plays to call. It ended up working in his favor as Butler knew exactly what to do.
Butler understandably couldn’t hold back his excitement after the game on Saturday. His Aztec teammates even dumped Gatorade on him.
“It’s unbelievable,” Butler said. “It’s what I came here to do. I’m glad the shot went in. I’m just happy for my team right now.”
San Diego State will face UConn on Monday night for the national title.
