From down double digits to celebrating a historic Final Four victory.
Making their Final Four debut, the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday and advance to the program's first national championship game.
The Aztecs trailed the Owls 56-42 with 13:53 remaining at NRG Stadium in Houston. But Brian Dutcher's team closed the game on a 30-15 sprint, which was capped off in absolutely thrilling fashion.
With FAU leading by one in the waning seconds, Owls guard Johnell Davis missed a contested layup. SDSU's Nathan Mensah pulled down the rebound and passed the ball to Lamont Butler, who drove down to the right corner and created some space for a game-winning pull-up jumper at the buzzer.
That gave the Aztecs their first lead since the 7:27 mark of the first half.
So where does SDSU's triumph rank among the biggest comebacks in men's Final Four history?
What are the biggest Final Four comebacks in March Madness history?
The Aztecs did not pull off the biggest comeback in men's Final Four history, as that record belongs to the Duke Blue Devils. In 2001, Duke overcame a 22-point deficit to beat Maryland in the Final Four en route to a national title.
The Blue Devils were on the wrong end of the second-biggest comeback, blowing an 18-point lead against Seton Hall in the 1989 Final Four.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
The next two biggest comeback wins both came in the national championship game. The Kansas Jayhawks made the biggest national title game comeback last year when they erased UNC's 16-point lead. That broke the previous record mark of 15 points by Loyola Chicago against Cincinnati in 1963.
The Aztecs come in behind Loyola Chicago with the fifth-biggest Final Four comeback.
Here's a full look at the five biggest comebacks in men's Final Four history:
- No. 1 Duke: Trailed by 22 points vs. No. 3 Maryland in first half, 2001 Final Four
- No. 3 Seton Hall: Trailed by 18 points vs. No. 2 Duke in first half, 1989 Final Four
- No. 1 Kansas: Trailed by 16 points vs. No. 8 UNC in first half, 2022 national championship
- Loyola Chicago: Trailed by 15 points vs Cincinnati in second half, 1963 national championship
- No. 5 San Diego State: Trailed by 14 points vs. No. 9 FAU in second half, 2023 Final Four
