SAN FRANCISCO — Darrion Williams tried again.
Two days after hitting two of the biggest shots of his life, two of the biggest shots in Texas Tech basketball history, it was only right for the 6-foot-6 junior forward to try again. Williams had done everything for the Red Raiders this season, battling through a litany of lower-body injuries and putting it all on the line when the spotlight shined on him.
Two days after the Red Raiders put together a 16-point comeback to beat Arkansas in the Sweet 16, Florida was doing the same thing to them on Saturday. The Gators trailed 71-61 with 6:18 left, Texas Tech having owned both sides of the floor for much of the season half.
Then Walter Clayton Jr. got going.
The comeback was swift and loud. Hitting just four 3-pointers in the first 34 minutes of the game, the Gators found their stroke when it matter. Clayton (30 points, four assists) hit three of Florida's five 3s in the final 5:24 and had given his team an 80-77 lead with under 30 seconds to play.
But Williams had the look he wanted. Elijah Hawkins drew two defenders to the right wing, then threw it back to a wide-open Williams for the game-tying 3 at the top of the key. There was nobody else Texas Tech would've rather had taking the shot in that moment, and Williams rose up, looking to be the hero again.
Two days ago, that shot goes through the net, and the game's probably going to overtime once again. What worked on Thursday, though, didn't work on Saturday. Williams' shot hit off the rim, Florida collected the rebound and put away the 84-79 comeback win.
"It kind of just hit when the clock hit zero," Williams said. "I wish I could change a few plays that happened, but you can't go back and do that. I thought we could win it until it hit zero."
This year's version of Texas Tech was among the best teams in the country, though it came with a lot of added stress. Saturday's game was the 17th (out of 37) that was decided by single digits, and all nine of the Red Raiders' setbacks came by less than 10 points.
