The first spot in the national championship game of the 2023 men's NCAA Tournament has been booked in epic fashion.
No. 5-seeded San Diego State advanced to its first ever title game with a 72-71 win over No. 9-seeded Florida Atlantic in their Final Four matchup on Saturday.
The Aztecs started hot early, using an 8-0 run to jump to a 14-5 lead in the first. Senior guard Matt Bradley made all three of his 3-point attempts to help build momentum.
But the Owls climbed back in style, with everyone in the rotation pitching in. All nine players found themselves on the score sheet within the opening period, with reserve forward Giancarlo Rosado going 3-for-3 inside the arc.
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Florida Atlantic eventually took a 10-point lead at 40-30, but the Aztecs made a 3-pointer to make it 40-33 at the half. Both teams came out swinging from long range. The Owls made 6 of 14 (42.8%) while San Diego State hit 5 of 11 (45.4%).
The action -- and shooting -- didn't peter out in the second half. Sophomore guard Alijah Martin lifted the Owls' lead to 54-40 with 15 minutes to go thanks to two technical foul free throws and making all three after being fouled behind the 3-point line.
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But basketball is a game of runs and Bradley got the Aztecs back in it shortly after, including three straight free throws after being fouled from deep. San Diego State then snagged eight offensive rebounds in four minutes to keep applying pressure on the Owls' defense and eventually grinded to a 65-65 tie with 4:26 to go.
The last minute of the game featured back-and-forth buckets, with the Aztecs getting the last shot. After Johnell Davis missed a shot, the Aztecs went the other way with seconds to go and didn't use their last timeout. Lamont Butler eventually found room to shoot and sent his team to the title game.
Bradley led the Aztecs with 21 points on 5 of 12 field goal shooting (4 of 8 from deep, 7 of 9 from the foul line) while Jaedon LeDee chipped in with 12 points -- also on 5 of 12 shooting -- off the bench. San Diego State shot 9-for-18 from distance and advanced despite going 13-for-22 (59.1%) on free throws.
Martin dropped 26 for the Owls on 7 of 13 shooting (3 of 7 from deep, 9 of 10 on free throws) as starting freshman guard Nicholas Boyd added 12 on 4-for-7 3-point shooting. FAU shot 9-for-22 from deep (40.9%).
The Aztecs' 14-point comeback ranks as the fifth-largest in men's Final Four history, and the heartbreaking loss for No. 9 FAU means seeds nine and lower are now 0-9 in the semifinals.
SDSU will now await the winner of No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Miami (Fl.) in the title game on Monday, April 3.
