Walter Clayton Jr. is having the kind of NCAA Tournament run legends are made of — and he’s not finished yet. The Florida Gators star poured in 34 points, including five 3-pointers, as Florida edged past SEC rival Auburn 79-73 in a back-and-forth Final Four battle Saturday night at the Alamodome. With the win, the Gators (35-4) advance to their first national championship game since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
Clayton’s latest heroics added another chapter to his already historic tournament. He became the first player to score 30 or more points in both the Elite Eight and the Final Four since Larry Bird did it for Indiana State in 1979, according to ESPN Stats. Clayton now leads all scorers in the NCAA Tournament and is the driving force behind Florida’s 11-game winning streak.
“He’s just special,” said Gators coach Todd Golden. “He’s the kind of player that changes the course of a tournament.”
Saturday’s semifinal wasn’t short on drama. In the first Final Four matchup between SEC teams, Auburn — the tournament’s top overall seed — came out strong, taking an eight-point lead into halftime. But Florida responded with a 13-3 run to open the second half, capped by a Clayton layup after a steal by Rueben Chinyelu that gave the Gators a 51-49 lead with 15:30 left.
From there, it was a slugfest. The game saw 15 lead changes and 10 ties, but Clayton and the Gators kept finding answers. None bigger than a driving layup with 2:24 left, moments after Aussie big man Alex Condon drew a critical charge against Auburn All-American Johni Broome, who was visibly limited by a right elbow injury.
Clayton’s hustle didn’t stop on the offensive end. With seconds remaining and the Tigers scrambling for a miracle, Clayton chased down a loose rebound and tipped it back inbounds to keep the clock running — a heads-up play that sealed the victory. As he walked back onto the court, teammate Alijah Martin waited at the baseline, nodding and smiling in approval.
Martin, who previously appeared in the Final Four with FAU two years ago, added 17 points. Thomas Haugh chipped in 12.
For Auburn, Chad Baker-Mazara led with 18 points despite nursing a thumb injury, hitting four threes. Broome added 15 points and seven rebounds but was largely held in check after halftime, scoring only three points in the second half as the Tigers fell to Florida for the second time this season.
After a record-setting season for the SEC — with 14 teams making the tournament, seven reaching the Sweet 16, and four in the Elite Eight — Florida now stands alone with a chance to capture the league’s first national title since Kentucky in 2012.
Standing in their way? No. 1 seed Houston, who outlasted Duke 70-67 in the second semifinal. Monday night’s championship clash promises to be a defensive slugfest — but if Walter Clayton Jr. has one more masterpiece in him, the Gators could be hanging another banner in Gainesville.
