There's nothing quite like a March Madness buzzer-beater. San Diego State's Lamont Butler hit the latest iconic shot in the NCAA Tournament, burying a two-point jumper as time expired to knock off Florida Atlantic and give the Aztecs their first Final Four win in program history.
The junior guard was still as calm as can be minutes after he scored the game-winner, something he has envisioned before.
“I got to a shot that I'm comfortable with. It's what I came here to do,” Butler said. “I'm glad the shot went in and I'm just happy for my team right now.”
Butler is by no means a star in terms of his numbers, but he showed up in a moment that every basketball player dreams of having. His tournament performance scoring-wise has been up and down. He averaged 7.6 points per game in San Diego State's first three tournament games, including just four points on 1-of-7 shooting in the Aztecs' Sweet 16 win over top-seeded Alabama.
Then Butler led all scorers with 18 points in a low-scoring win over Creighton in the Elite Eight. Saturday night in the Final Four, Butler had 9 points, with his last two being the most important.
For a player who averages seven points a game for his college career, Lamont Butler sure did make the most of his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
San Diego State nor Florida Atlantic were expected to be in the Final Four. Both teams earned their chance at history though, and put together a classic Final Four game that will be talked about for a while. The Aztecs await the winner of Miami and UConn in the National Championship Game, thanks in large part to Lamont Butler.
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