Sports World Reacts to Wild San Diego State Buzzer Beater

Lamont Butler delivered a moment that college basketball lovers will never forget.
Sports World Reacts to Wild San Diego State Buzzer Beater
Sports World Reacts to Wild San Diego State Buzzer Beater /

San Diego State’s Lamont Butler delivered a moment that the college basketball world will never forget on Saturday night in Houston when he drained a jumper at the buzzer to give his Aztecs a 72–71 victory over Florida Atlantic in the men’s Final Four.

After trailing for much of the second half, San Diego State stormed back from as many as 14 points down to give Butler a chance on the final possession. The junior guard delivered, nailing a mid-range shot as time expired to send the crowd into pandemonium and his team into the national championship game.

“The plan was just to get downhill. They cut me off a little bit,” Butler explained after his game-winner. “I looked up and there was two seconds left so I got to a shot that I’m comfortable with and I hit it. I’m happy.”

Needless to say, Butler’s last-second heroics sent the sports world into a frenzy on Saturday night. Charles Barkley was among those who couldn’t believe what he saw take place in the closing seconds at NRG Stadium.

Here’s how the rest of the sports world reacted to the wild finish between San Diego State and FAU:


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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.