SAN ANTONIO — Walter Clayton Jr. sensed that Florida’s big men were shellshocked as they jogged off the court at halftime of Saturday’s first Final Four game.
Johni Broome and the rest of the Auburn frontcourt were manhandling the Gators in the paint, overpowering them in the low post and shoving them aside for offensive rebounds.
Rather than lay into his teammates when he got into the locker room, Clayton pulled them aside and lifted them up. The All-American guard told Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten that he trusted them, that he had confidence in them. He told them again and again, “Don’t listen to anything that anyone is saying. Just play the way you guys do.”
That pep talk was as big as any of the off-balance threes and acrobatic driving layups that Clayton Jr. hit to help rally Florida from an eight-point halftime deficit. The Gators' frontcourt collectively displayed a different level of toughness and physicality in the second half of their 79-73 victory over SEC rival Auburn.
Broome did not score for the final 15:12 of the second half as the Gators denied the first-team All-American big man the ball whenever possible and prevented him from establishing deep low-post position when he did get it. With Clayton’s words ringing in their ears, Florida’s big men controlled the paint and forced Auburn to try to beat them with contested jumpers.
“To have someone like that boost us up and bring us back together, it just shows how good a teammate he is,” Handlogten said. “He’s seen us play in practice. He knows how physical we can play. Him saying all that, it really helped us slow down and not think, just play.”
Add that halftime pep talk to the growing list of NCAA tournament heroics Clayton has delivered for Florida during its run to the national title game. The tough-shot specialist has piled up an NCAA tournament-high 123 points in five victories so far, building a reputation as the most feared clutch scorer in college basketball, the lethal shooter you can’t give a sliver of space in the final minutes of a tight game.
Clayton didn’t hit any 3s as insane ...
