HOUSTON — San Diego State’s vaunted defense staggered well into the second half as free-flowing Florida Atlantic University breezed to a 14-point lead Saturday night, the Owls seemingly gliding along.
The Aztecs found their teeth again to get back into the game — and then Lamont Butler delivered at the very end.
Butler hit a buzzer-beating jumper for the ages, sending San Diego State to its first appearance in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament final with a 72-71 win over fellow mid-major conference program FAU in the Final Four.
“I didn’t really know how big it was,” Butler said after his calm reaction to one of the greatest shots in March Madness history. “We’re going to the national championship. That’s not things many people do.”
A diabolical defense had pushed San Diego State (32-6), a No. 5 seed, all the way to the final stop for the NCAA tourney. The Aztecs bumped and harassed opponents all season to create the first all-mid-major national semifinal since Butler University and Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011.