Florida trailed Auburn by eight at the half, but a brilliant performance from Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators to a 79-73 victory over the Tigers to advance to the national championship game.
A second-straight 30-point game from Clayton was the decider, without a doubt. He shot 11-of-18 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range, with four rebounds and two assists. Alijah Martin added 17 more, including a pair of ridiculous slam dunks to shift the momentum of the game, and Will Richard's deceptive final box score — seven points, six rebounds and three steals — understates the impact he had don't he game. Richard might have gone 1-of-6 from the field, but he was a defensive catalyst and kept Florida in the game.
"I'm just used to seeing him put the ball in the basket, I guess," head coach Todd Golden said of Clayton's performance. "He's done what he's done all year for us. In big moments, he stepped up, hit huge shots, settled our team down and made winning plays when we need them the most."
Thomas Haugh led the frontcourt with 12 points and seven rebounds. He missed a few free throws at the end, but he's been one of Florida's best players all tournament and he kept to that pace Saturday night. Alex Condon was limited to just one point, four rebounds and three assists. He fouled out in the final minutes of the game, but his game-long battle with Johni Broome is another major reason for the comeback victory. Rueben Chinyelu subbed in for Condon ahead of the final possessions, and an offensive rebound after two missed free throws helped seal the win. Chinyelu finished with a game-high nine boards.
You can't stop Walt
Coming into the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said that his team needed to find a way to contain Walter Clayton Jr. His 3-point shooting helped bury the Tigers in the regular-season meeting between these two teams, and Clayton came out with the same energy in the Final Four. He buried the first two 3s he took for six of Florida's first 11 points. He missed a long heat-check attempt before the first media timeout of the game and again on the other side. Clayton only took four more shots in the first half, but he drained three of them and added two more from the line.
As good as Clayton was in the first half, he took over the game in the second. Every time Florida needed a big shot, he was there. Cutting to the basket, dump-off 3s and finger rolls at the rim; he can do it all. The legend of Walter Clayton Jr. will be talked about for decades to come in Gainesville. Florida doesn't win this game without every one of his 34 points.
"I just got a bunch of guys around me that trust me. I say it all the time," Clayton said after the game. "Them guys trust me to take them shots, and some nights they fall. Tonight was one of those nights."
Broome neutralized after halftime
Johni Broome dominated the first half of the game, but his arm injury or perhaps fatigue limited him in the second. The biggest tell is the difference in points in the paint before and after the break. Auburn won that battle, 26-14 in the first half, and Florida won it, 16-8, in the second half.
Broome's last bucket came with 15 minutes left in the second half, and he looked uncomfortable matching up with Condon and Haugh after dominating the battle in the first half. He grew increasingly frustrated as his teammates ran the called plays incorrectly and turned the ball over, allowing Florida more scoring opportunities.
Every turnover matters
The first half of the game featured just seven combined turnovers from both teams, but Florida changed the tempo of the game in the second ...