Recap
Many analysts around the sport described the SEC 2024-2025 conference as one of the greatest leagues college basketball has ever seen. The two champions of that league, Auburn (Regular Season) and Florida (Tournament) exemplified that claim on the biggest stage on Saturday.
For the first eight minutes of the fifth Final Four matchup between SEC adversaries, the pair of No. 1 seeds exchanged shots, body blows, and spars. In a city that often reminds its citizens to never forget the Alamo, the first quarter of Saturday's highly-anticipated tilt provided the type of drama seen only in the greatest western films.
The No. 1 ranked Tigers managed to hold the lead for most of that opening ten minutes, until an ugly offensive possession led to an even uglier Miles Kelly late shot clock foul against Florida guard Will Richard. Richard, who had not scored before his duo of free throws, gave the Gators a 23-22 lead with 10:21 remaining in the opening frame.
Auburn immediately responded, with Miles Kelly and Denver Jones providing a 7-2 run to give the Tigers a lead at the under 8 timeout. That run extended for the remainder of the half, in large part to Johni Broome (blank first half points) showing the country why he is a National Player of the Year Contender. Broome, Kelly, and Jones led the Tigers to a 46-38 lead heading into the locker room.
That lead was quickly erased by the high-paced and highly-efficient Florida offense, as the Gators climbed back to even the score at 49 a piece by the under 16 media timeout. A 9-0 Gators run before the timeout extended to 11-0 on the first possession out of the break, with Walter Clayton Jr. giving his team a much needed lead.
Auburn got the lead back, although it did not last long. A Gators team that has arguably been the best in college basketball showed why for most of the second half, taking a 60-58 lead into the under 8 timeout. That lead held through the next media timeout, with Walter Clayton Jr. providing unconscious shooting down the stretch for the Gators.
An Alijah Martin dunk sent the Florida faithful into a frenzy, but the battle-tested Tigers held strong, ultimately forcing a one-point contest with just over three minutes to play. A pair of Alex Condon free throws extended the Florida lead, giving the Gators a much needed cushion down the stretch.
The lead held after a pair of Johni Broome missed free throws with 2 minutes left, allowing Walter Clayton Jr. to put his final stamp on a March Madness that has ultimately become his with an and-one layup. A twelfth second half turnover by Chad Baker-Mazara all but ended things for Auburn.
Reaction
A magical season came to an end with one of the worst halves the No. 1 ranked Tigers played all year. It was an unfortunate ending to a phenomenal season. Johni Broome, who was so great in the opening frame, disappeared down the stretch, while Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. shined in the biggest moment.
What's Next?
Bruce Pearl and his staff will head to the transfer portal in hopes of retooling a roster set to lose most of, if not all, of its most used players.
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