Tag: 2023 NCAA Men’s Tournament

San Diego State’s Lamont Butler narrowly avoided stepping out of bounds before his buzzer-beater

That buzzer-beater was *this* close to never happening.

The first game of the Final Four ended in a thrilling victory for San Diego State as Lamont Butler nailed a remarkable buzzer-beater.

After SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher opted not to use their final timeout, Butler was trusted to make the right play. The guard took the ball down the floor in transition, dribbled near the baseline, and showed stellar footwork as the clock continued ticking.

Butler very nearly stepped out of bounds once on the baseline and if he had moved his right foot an extra inch, SDSU’s season would have come to a sad close due to a turnover. Instead, he was able to make his way to the midrange and nail the shot.

This is one of those shots that will go down in the March Madness history books, but it’s even crazier when you realize that it nearly didn’t happen.

Take a look at this angle and you will see exactly how close it was:

My heart is pounding just looking at that video!

Congratulations to Butler on using all 94 feet of the court and all 50 feet of the baseline, because my goodness, that was a close call.

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SDSU coach Brian Dutcher explains why he didn’t call a timeout before amazing Final Four buzzer-beater

“I ran out of plays so I decided not to take a timeout.”

San Diego State had a timeout remaining as the clock neared an expiration, but Brian Dutcher trusted his players and didn’t use it.

After trailing Florida Atlantic by as many as 14 points earlier in the game, SDSU had a chance to secure the victory. SDSU big man Nathan Mensah grabbed a rebound following a missed shot by FAU, then Lamont Butler took the ball up the floor in transition.

Butler stepped up on the biggest stage and managed to take an incredibly impressive off-the-dribble jumper from midrange. The shot went in for a thrilling buzzer-beater, earning a trip to the national championship.

After the game, Dutcher was asked why he chose not to call a timeout and draw up a more intentional possession in a set offense.

Dutcher was perfectly candid about the decision to instead let everything just happen within the flow of the game:

Here was the full quote from Dutcher:

“I ran out of plays so I decided not to take a timeout. So Lamont said if we get the rebound, let’s get downhill, send all three bigs to the rim. He got downhill and made the play.”

SDSU was an average team when it came to their typical shot quality after a timeout, but they were also relatively inefficient in a transition offense during the tournament.

This decision was bold but brilliant and it worked like a charm.

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: Predictions for UConn’s Jordan Hawkins and all 58 picks

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is the most notable draft prospect in the Final Four.

While it’s not smart to put too much weight on a player’s performance during March Madness, it’s still a great scouting opportunity.

We had several breakout stars during the NCAA men’s tournament and some disappointing performances as well. Although the Final Four does not feature many projectable NBA players, there are still a few prospects who could hear their names called on the night of the draft.

The most notable is UConn’s Jordan Hawkins, who scored at least 20 points in the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight. Some players (e.g. UConn’s Donovan Clingan or FAU’s Johnell Davis) would likely appear on our mock draft if they decide to turn pro.

Our draft order is based on what was listed on Tankathon on March 30. The official order will be set after the much-anticipated lottery in Chicago on May 16.

Unless noted otherwise, all data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

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UConn’s Jordan Hawkins and the 6 best NBA draft prospects playing in the Final Four

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is a ready-to-play movement shooter perfect for the NBA.

This is a fascinating Final Four in the NCAA men’s tournament, especially because we may only have one first-round draft pick playing in either game.

Between the two matchups, UConn vs. Miami is the game to watch if you want to see likely future NBA players. Even if there aren’t many players selected in the first round, there are several who could find their way onto your favorite pro team.

Before the two games have their tipoffs in Houston on Saturday, these are the top NBA draft prospects you should keep your eyes peeled for whenever they are on the court.

NOTE: UConn’s Donovan Clingan would also make this list if he decides to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft.

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

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Historic: San Diego State edges Creighton for first-ever Final Four appearance

Check out these images from the San Diego State-Creighton Elite Eight matchup.

It was a game that might be best remembered for the foul call as time was expiring in the second half, but the San Diego State Aztecs are heading to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

As the clock was inching towards 0.0 Aztec guard Darrion Trammell drove into the paint and his floater hit the front of the rim and fell to the floor. We all thought this game was heading to overtime but the referee called a foul on Russell Nembhard. They would put 1.2 seconds on the clock and Trammell went to the line hitting his second free throw attempt after missing the first.

The Aztecs led 57-56 with just 1.2 seconds left allowing them one desperation heave to the other end of the court in hopes of the buzzer-beating victory. Baylor Scheierman, a former high school quarterback, threw the ball to the other end where San Diego State’s Aguek Arop deflected the ball aimed for Arthur Kaluma and the ball went out of bounds on the end line. We awaited the referee’s review believing that they would be given at least 0.2 seconds on the clock. However, the referees waived it off, and the game ended in thrilling fashion for one team and complete heartbreak for another.

The Aztecs will face an unlikely foe in the Florida Atlantic Owls, who were able to thwart the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats.

Check out these images from the Aztecs’ Elite Eight victory.

Opinion: The beauty of March Madness is defined by underdogs

What is it about March Madness that gets fans hooked?

Every year in March, millions of fans are glued to their televisions and find themselves rooting for teams they have never heard of. Rooting for those teams as if they had followed them their whole lives.

This year, there were 20,056,273 brackets made on ESPN despite a 1-in-120 billion chance of a perfect bracket. What is it about March Madness that gets fans hooked?

The truth is that we all love an underdog story. People pull for Cinderella every tournament as they hope and pray the clock doesn’t strike midnight for those schools. Let me throw some teams at you: [autotag]Lehigh[/autotag], [autotag]Saint Peter’s[/autotag], [autotag]Oral Roberts[/autotag], [autotag]Florida Gulf Coast[/autotag], [autotag]UMBC[/autotag], and this year [autotag]Princeton[/autotag] and [autotag]Fairleigh Dickinson[/autotag].

These teams are a combined 15-15 in the NCAA Tournament since 2010. That doesn’t sound bad, but since 2010, there have been 868 tournament games in total. These seven teams make up only 0.03% of games in that time. The closest any of these teams have gotten to a national championship was Saint Peter’s, who went all the way to the Elite Eight last year. Princeton has a chance to tie that feat if it can beat Creighton this week.

What is it about the March Madness format that makes it so special? Why doesn’t that format work in other sports? I think it’s because the games are one-offs. The format doesn’t work in baseball and softball because the underdogs have to win a three-game series. It doesn’t work in football because there is too much parity.

This would be like lining Akron up against Georgia in college football. It wouldn’t work even in a one-off. It would be a cupcake game. They would lose by at least 28.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. The “one shining moment” that endures the test of time. You may not know who these teams are when they enter the tournament, but you’ll never forget their magical run in March.

That is the beauty of March Madness.

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Sweet 16: College Wire staff game predictions, who advances to the Elite Eight?

Time to predict the Sweet 16. Who do you have advancing?

The Sweet 16 will tip off on Thursday with four games and then the next four games on Friday. Upon the completion of Friday’s games, we will have our field for the Elite Eight.

Sweet 16 Schedule: (All game times are central)

Thursday

  • No. 3 Kansas State vs No. 7 Michigan State | 5:30 pm on TBS
  • No. 4 UConn vs No. 8 Arkansas | 6:15 pm on CBS
  • No. 4 Tennessee vs No. 9 Florida Atlantic | 8 pm on TBS
  • No. 2 UCLA vs No. 3 Gonzaga | 8:45 pm on CBS

Friday

  • No. 1 Alabama vs No. 5 San Diego St | 5:30 pm on TBS
  • No. 1 Houston vs No. 5 Miami | 6:15 pm on CBS
  • No. 6 Creighton vs No. 15 Princeton | 8 pm on TBS
  • No. 2 Texas vs No. 3 Xavier | 8:45 pm on CBS

The Standings in our predictions:

Editor Site Record
Patrick College Sports Wire 29-19
Cami Longhorns Wire 36-12
Phil Buckeyes Wire 35-13
Taylor Auburn Wire 31-17
Kevin Nittany Lions Wire 34-14
AJ Roll Tide Wire 33-15
E. Wayne Razorbacks Wire 36-12
Tyler LSU Tigers Wire 31-17

Now for the predictions.