San Diego State basketball

Check out highlights and live analysis from the Final Four matchup between San Diego State and Florida Atlantic.

Usually in the football stadiums used for Final Fours you get those nervous first few attempts but not in this case. The Cal transfer is 2-of-2 from 3 to start the Final Four, as he enters the big stage with the most career points of anybody in Houston. Great sign for the Aztecs that Matt Bradley is the one keying this run with 11 points before we even hit the under-12 timeout. The flip side is that the veteran head coach would take 46% shooting all day, especially given how many of the shots have been easy looks inside the lane (just nine shots outside the paint). That hasn’t been the case mainly because their most reliable asset — their defense — has been a little slow to react to FAU’s perimeter screens and quick ball movement. Maybe the most impressive part is that they did so with nine different scorers and saw their two key guys that got them to Houston — The Owls are continuing to out-rebound SDSU and seem to be making much more of an effort to get to the line. 14:58 - The Aztecs were feeling some type of way about how things were going, as SDSU guard Micah Parrish drew a dead-ball technical foul. This is not an Aztecs squad that has the kind of shooting to come back from big deficits so getting Bradley going and keeping this to single-digits by the next break will be key if the MWC’s best wants to keep playing on Monday. *** *** *** Since seeding began in 1979, teams seeded 9 or lower are 0-8 in the Final Four (entering Saturday). While FAU has knocked down a couple of 3s and continue to maintain the advantage on the glass, this one is getting tight down in Houston.

Lamont Butler swished a midrange jumper at the buzzer to send San Diego State to the N.C.A.A. men's championship. Up next, No. 4 seed Connecticut plays No.

Now, two of the four teams this weekend are from the state: first-timers Florida Atlantic and Miami, joining fellow newcomer San Diego State and former champion UConn. The Dolphins dispatched the Lanier-less St. The tournament included 25 schools in 1970, as opposed to the 68 of today. tournament game,” May said after the game, referring to his team’s new look in March. because of the pandemic. He would be one of the first people to get tickets and get a flight to Houston. Alijah Martin was 8 of 12 from the line in his four previous N.C.A.A. followed with a 16-3 run of its own, with multiple players scoring in the spurt. Tonight, in the national semifinals, he’s 9 of 10. valued the tournament at only $6 million in ESPN’s current agreement. While ESPN is celebrating the high interest in the tournament, that could also result in the company, or a different broadcaster, having to spend more money in the future. These were the gate crashers, the unannounced guests of the N.C.A.A.

Florida Atlantic University rode its dominant regular season into a March Madness birth, then the 9-seeded underdog ran through its opponents in Columbus and ...

See the [expert predictions for this Final Four matchup](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/owls/2023/03/29/march-madness-final-four-florida-atlantic-san-diego-state-basketball-picks-fau-owls-sdsu-aztecs/70061163007/). Here is [FAU’s Final Four roster](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/roster/_/id/2226). [the oddsmaker for USA TODAY](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/basketball/ncaab/odds). “I think the Owls are gonna do it,” Barkley said on the pregame show. [Kansas State stayed close at the end, but couldn’t hang on to the ball. The winner will play the winner of the other matchup, University Connecticut vs. The Owls have two early turnovers. Matt Bradley hit a pair of 3-pointers put the Aztecs into the lead. He hit a 3-point jumper and layup to extend the Aztecs’ lead. FAU’s Nick Boyd and San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell exchanged 3-pointers to open the second half scoring. In the tournament so far, they've gotten by top-seeded Alabama, Charleston, Furman and Creighton to arrive in Houston with its own hopes for a basketball title. The Miami Hurricanes play the University of Connecticut to get to the championship game.

HOUSTON — The Florida Atlantic men's basketball team fell one jump shot shy of the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament. No. 5-seed San Diego ...

Matt Bradley carried the offensive load for San Diego State with 21 points. The Aztecs closed within 2 points in an energetic run that brought their faithful into a frenzy midway through the second half. "They went on a run," FAU star sophomore Aljiah Martin said. "March is for players," Dutcher said. He was more than happy with Butler's improvisation. "(Nicholas Boyd) cut me off from the baseline so there weren't really many angles that I had. "I didn't really know how big the shot was but we're going to the national championship. 5-seed San Diego State defeated No. 5-seed Miami and No. [Florida Atlantic Owls leading San Diego State in Final Four second half](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/owls/2023/04/01/fau-basketball-live-updates-score-ncaa-final-four-san-diego-state/70055845007/) That's not something many people do," Butler said. No.

Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beating shot to send No. 5 San Diego State to the NCAA tournament title game with a 72-71 win against No. 9 Florida Atlantic on ...

No. The first national semifinal is No. 1 Alabama in the Sweet 16 to Lamont Butler's 18 points on 11 shots in the Elite Eight win against No. 1 Alabama (2) and No. FAU has six 3-pointers in the first half, surpassing the total of makes of Alabama, Creighton and Charleston each while matching Furman. 1 Tide by 9 in the second half in the Sweet 16 and No. They've also masked the poor shooting overall with a pair of 3-pointers. Meanwhile, San Diego State is up to four 3s this half, with Matt Bradley coming on lately with 19 points. After trailing the No. You're going to see us in the same position, and it's going to be a different outcome, I promise you." 1 overall seed Alabama by 9 with 11:39 to go and were down by 7 to Creighton in the second half. FAU, which was trying to become the first No.

De'Aaron Fox and several NBA stars are in awe after Lamont Butler's buzzer-beater sent San Diego State basketball to the national title game.

They were just a second away from title contention, but in the end, the Aztecs wanted it more. [April 2, 2023] However, two of those are the most important, so much so that even the likes of De’Aaron Fox and several other NBA stars are left in awe.

Lamont Butler delivered a moment that college basketball lovers will never forget.

Fans were critical of the referees late in the Final Four.

Lamont Butler rose to the occasion and sent the San Diego State Aztecs to the national championship game with a game-winning shot over Florida Atlantic.

[LONGTIME SPORTS JOURNALIST, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR REFUSES TO TRAVEL TO TEXAS FOR FINAL FOUR OVER GUN LAWS](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/journalist-refuses-to-travel-to-texas-for-final-four-over-gun-laws) [CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM](https://www.foxnews.com/sports) Martin led the way with 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting. However, Davis missed a layup, and Nathan Mensah grabbed the rebound. On the next possession, Florida Atlantic’s Alijah Martin made a reverse layup for two of his 19 second-half points to put the Owls up three. Johnell Davis made two free throws with 1:20 to go and Jaedon LeDee answered with a layup.

FAU takes on San Diego State in the first semifinal game of the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Lamont Butler hit a 17-foot jump shot at the buzzer to send San Diego State to its first national championship game with a 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic ...

"I'm just so happy that we're in this position and we have a chance to win the national championship." And that trust proved the crescendo of a consummate team win, as SDSU dug deep to climb back in the game after trailing by 14 in the final 15 minutes. "From the cutoff, it was a one-dribble pull-up," Butler said. "To be able to hit a game-winning shot to take your team to a championship. Butler took off with the intention of bulling his way to the basket for a layup, but Boyd forced him to improvise. He just trusted the work." "I think that's going to be one of the shots that we're going to see forever. "All the work Lamont put in, and this is what you live for," Butler Sr. He took a hesitation dribble for his seventh bounce, and then he crossed back through his legs from right to left to begin a retreat on his eighth dribble. [San Diego State](/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/21/san-diego-state-aztecs) guard [Lamont Butler](https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4433183/lamont-butler) counted down the imaginary clock in his head. Butler's came on the same end of the same court at NRG Stadium in Houston. Childhood imagination met adult reality Saturday night, a collision of fate, opportunity and thousands of practice shots to meet the moment.

Lamont Butler's jumper capped the Aztecs' late rally to end the Owls' magical run.

The move was a stroke of genius as Butler attacked the hoop and was able to catch FAU's defense on its heels. 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. 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. The win by the Aztecs puts them in the national title game for the first time in school history. I looked up and saw there was two seconds left, so I got to a shot I'm comfortable with -- and I hit it. "The plan was just to get downhill," Butler said postgame on CBS of his game-winner.

Florida Atlantic and San Diego State play in the first game of the night, with UCONN and Miami after.

UConn was on 2.4% of brackets to win the national championship, followed by Miami at .5%, San Diego State at .3% and FAU at .1%. UConn was on 1.9% of brackets to win it all, followed by Miami at .4%, San Diego State at .15% and FAU at .04%. The three are Muslims who observe Ramadan and adhere to a strict fast from dawn until sunset daily until April 20. They are minus-130 favorites to cut down the nets Monday, according to All the other teams are in the plus-range, thus better value picks — if you’re willing to take a chance against UConn. Also, .4% of brackets had UConn meeting Miami in Saturday’s national semifinal, and the FAU-San Diego State matchup was on .04%. The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. Get-in prices were as low as $50 for seats in the top deck of NRG Stadium. "The plan was just to get downhill,” Butler said. Someone would need to bet $130 to win $100. The Aztecs shut down FAU and pulled within one when Jaedon LeDee hit a short jumper with 36 seconds left. But the first game absolutely delivered.

This is what magic looks like. San Diego State is now one win away from its first national championship victory in program history, all thanks to Lamont ...

“This is something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives,” Trammell said. “So I don’t need to tell you that he can put it in the basket. “We can’t lose sight of what we’re trying to do. Also how he had worked on that pull-up jumper all last summer, and ”I was able to get comfortable with it.” But it’s the game of basketball. “He told me to go downhill, get something at the rim.” It was a lot to put on one junior guard. On two distant sides of the continent, they have very different reasons to remember what came next. The once-in-a-lifetime chance to play Monday night would be decided by what decision Butler made, what shot Butler took. Dutcher would later admit he had run out of plays to call, so no reason to call a timeout after a Florida Atlantic miss. Brian Dutcher looked at his team and explained the situation. We have to go and earn it.” Here we are in the San Diego State huddle, 17 seconds left.

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Florida Atlantic Owls vs. San Diego State Aztecs NCAAM basketball game on April 1, 2023.

A diabolical defense had pushed San Diego State (32-6) all the way to the final stop for the NCAA tourney. The Aztecs lost an opportunity when they were in position for a No. But it's the only one when the winning team was trailing at the time of the shot. The clock ticking down, Butler dribbled to the baseline, found that cut off and circled back. [one of the greatest shots](https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1642327977479270400?s=20) in NCAA Tournament history. “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. “They went on a run, getting extra possessions,” said FAU's Nick Boyd, who hit three early 3s and finished with 12 points. Butler's winning buzzer-beater was the first for the Final Four since Jalen Suggs for Gonzaga against UCLA in 2021 and No. “We’re going to the national championship. [Alijah Martin](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4702656/alijah-martin), who seemed to have an answer for every Aztecs move by scoring 19 of his 26 points in the second half. FAU kept San Diego State at bay most of the second half thanks to

Can the Huskies claim their fifth national title? Or will the Aztecs win it all in their first trip to the Final Four?