San Diego State basketball coach Brian Dutcher had a great explanation for not calling a timeout at the end of the team’s 72-71 win over Florida Atlantic in the Final Four on Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston.
The Aztecs were trailing the Owls 71-70 and had just gotten the ball with 10 seconds left after a block by Nathan Mensah. Some were expecting the Aztecs to call a timeout to set up a play, but they didn’t.
The decision paid off.
Lamont Butler got the ball, drained the clock, and then made a jumper to win the game at the buzzer (video here).
Butler’s shot was one to remember, and maybe he sank it because he didn’t have time to think about it and just went on instinct.
Dutcher was asked in a postgame interview with CBS why he didn’t call a timeout.
“I ran out of plays so I decided not to take a timeout,” Dutcher humorously told Tracy Wolfson.
Brian Dutcher on the buzzer beater:
"I ran out of plays so I decided not to take a timeout" 😂 pic.twitter.com/5HEVEm83sM
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 2, 2023
That’s great.
Sometimes the best coaching move is to not do anything, not ice them, and just let the players do what they do best. The strategy worked, and now San Diego State is in the championship.
