Getting defensive, SDSU guard Lamont Butler wins Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award.

When it comes to playing defense in the Mountain West Conference this season, nobody did it better than Lamont Butler.

The senior guard from San Diego State has been voted by the leagues coaches as the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

Butler is also a member of the conference All-Defensive team and an honorable mention performer.

"It's an honor definitely," said Butler shortly after the award was announced. "I just go out there and try to guard these talented guys in our conference. I just play my hardest and make winning plays."

Of course, Butler made the most iconic "winning play" in SDSU basketball history at this time last year. Butler hit the game winning, buzzer beating jump shot in the Final Four to beat Florida Atlantic 72-21 and send the Aztecs into the 2023 NCAA Tournament National Championship game.

With college basketball's post season starting up again, the Mountain West Conference tournament is this week followed by the NCAA Tournament, Butler was asked if the return of March Madness meant increased memories his game winning shot?

"Not really, not really. I kind of put shot behind me, but it's definitely a great moment for myself and San Diego State, just trying to go into this March and make some more memories like that."

That Butler isn't living in the past with his one shining moment shot, is probably a good thing for this Aztecs team. SDSU closed the conference season with 2 straight loses and dropped to 5th place in the conference. SDSU wold love to regain their winning ways in the MWC Tournament this week in Las Vegas, but that will be tough to do, the conference is loaded with good teams, and potentially 6 teams that will get NCAA Tournament bids.

Butler knows the trip to Vegas for the conference tournament will have to be a basketball business trip

"Every game is a battle, we're going out there every night and playing a tough team, " the always confident Butler ending his statement by saying "I think we're going to win. We continue to get better especially in March, we're ready to compete, ready to win and we got the guys to do it."

SDSU's opens the Mountain West Conference tournament with a Thursday quarterfinal game against UNLV. The Rebels just beat the Aztecs in Vegas on March 5th, now the two teams will play again, and once again the game is in Vegas. 9 days later, in the same arena against the same teams, what do the Aztecs need to differently to get a different result?

"Play with a lot more confidence, try not to let them get out on us in the first half, play confident, play free."

Butler doesn't buy the notion that just because the Aztecs enter the MWC tournament as the 5th seed, they are more like an underdog team than in previous years.

"I still think teams are still gunning for us, they don't want us to make it back to championship game, any way they can take us out is going to be their main focus, but we're here to win it and we're always going to feel like we are the top team in this conference."

The Mountain West Conference Tournament concludes Saturday, then on Sunday the NCAA Basketball Tournament field will be announced. San Diego State is expected to be seeded in the 4 to 6 range.