San Diego State’s Lamont Butler nearly stepped out of bounds before buzzer-beating shot

San Diego State’s Lamont Butler played the role of the hero on Saturday night as his jumper lifted the Aztecs to a win over Florida Atlantic 72-71 in the national semifinal game.

But Butler’s shot was nearly all for naught as the replay of his play showed just how close he was to stepping out of bounds on the play.

Butler brought the ball up after an Owls player missed a jumper in the lane. He drove down to the right side toward the baseline and his foot nearly stepped on the end line. His foot was barely an inch away from the line.

Regardless, Butler rose up and fired, making the shot and putting himself into March Madness lore.

“I didn’t really know how big it was,” he said after the game. “We’re going to the national championship. That’s not things many people do.”

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San Diego State will take on UConn in the national championship on Monday night. The Huskies topped Miami in the other Final Four game.

“We’ve always been knocked down,” San Diego State guard Matt Bradley said. “But the biggest thing we always do is get back up and keep fighting.”

Before the 2023 tournament, San Diego State had only been as far as the Sweet 16 – making it in 2011 and 2014. Now, they get to play for a chance at the national title.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.