The San Diego State Aztecs are going to the National Championship Game for the first time in program history (entering the 2023 NCAA Tournament, they hadn’t even made the Elite Eight before). And they advanced to the title game in very dramatic, buzzer-beating fashion.
Trailing Florida Atlantic 71-70 in the final seconds of Saturday’s Final Four game, San Diego State’s Lamont Butler drained a buzzer-beating jumper to give the Aztecs a 72-71 victory.
San Diego State erased a 14-point deficit in the second half to come away with the win.
Here’s how Butler’s buzzer-beater looked and sounded on the CBS television broadcast, with Jim Nantz on the call (in his last Final Four):
SAN DIEGO STATE ONIONS TO ADVANCE TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! šš§ š„ pic.twitter.com/SQxgvcB4OH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 2, 2023
“IT’S BUTLER, WITH TWO SECONDS, HE’S GOTTA PUT IT UP, AND… HE MAKES IT! HE WINS IT WITH THE JUMPER! A SAN DIEGO STATE MIRACLE!”
Ted Leitner had the San Diego State radio call for San Diego Sports 760:
THE SHOT THAT SENT THE @Aztec_MBB TEAM TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! @TedLeitner's call below! #TheTimeIsNow | #MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/H0CQ3KtguW
— San Diego Sports 760 (@Sports760) April 2, 2023
“Four, three… Lamont Butler, Lamont Butler, pull-up jump shot… GOOD! GOOD! GOOD! GOOD! THEY’RE STORMIN’ THE COURT! THEY’RE STORMIN’ THE COURT! Who’s going to the Championship Game? Not FAU! No, no, no! The San Diego State Azzztecs are going to the NCAA National Championship Game on Monday! How ’bout them Aztecs? How ’bout them boys?”
Brian Custer and Dick Vitale had the broadcasting duties for the ESPN international feed:
A BUZZER BEATER SENDS SAN DIEGO STATE TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/i5fC5q09yJ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 2, 2023
Custer: “WITH TWO HE’S GOTTA GET IT UP, BUTLER FOR THE WIN… HE DID IT! THE BUTLER DID IT! SAN DIEGO STATE IS HEADED TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!”
Vitale: “OOOOOH! OOOOOOOOH! UNBELIEVABLE! UNBELIEVABLE!”
Kevin Kugler had the national radio call for Westwood One:
Lamont Butler Sends @Aztec_MBB to the National Championship Game with a buzzer-beating pull-up jumper. #Final4 #MarchMadness
FINAL – @Aztec_MBB 72 @FAUMBB 71
š£ļø: @kevinkugler, @ClarkKelloggCBS, @jimjackson419 & @TheAndyKatz š» pic.twitter.com/OmJ2pwSGya
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) April 2, 2023
“Six seconds to go, five seconds, Butler, to the right wing with three seconds, Butler in the corner, with one second, hoists the jumper… IT’S GOOD! IT’S GOOD! LAMONT BUTLER, SENDS SAN DIEGO STATE TO ITS FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! 72-71! THE BUTLER DID IT, FOR THE AZTECS IN HOUSTON!”
