SAN ANTONIO ― With the shot clock winding down and Florida basketball clinging to a three-point lead in the closing minutes of its Final Four game against Auburn, Walter Clayton Jr. surveyed the defense in front of him.
Clayton curled around a screen from Florida Gators sophomore forward Thomas Haugh, then drove in between two more Auburn defenders as he found a lane to the basket. He finished the play by making a bank shot, tumbling to the end line as he was fouled with 1:33 left.
It was trademark Clayton, unafraid of the moment or the contact. He converted the three-point play to put Florida up six points, the dagger in UF's eventual 79-73 Final Four win over Auburn before 68,000 at the Alamodome.
"Tommy had hit down, knocked down one of those top of the key threes," Clayton said, "That kind of forced them not to stay as long on me. Tommy, all of them were making plays. Like I said, the guys around me making plays allows my game to open up and I appreciate 'em."
Clayton would up with a career-high 34 points, becoming the first player since Larry Bird to score 30 or more points in consecutive NCAA Tournament games in the Elite Eight and national semifinals. He'll take that mojo into the national title game, where Florida (35-4) will face either Duke or Houston on Monday night.
"He's the best guard in America," Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. "It's just not really a conversation at this point, what he's been able to do. ... to get this deep, you obviously need special players. He's one of those guys for us."
How Walter Clayton Jr. kept Florida basketball in the game in first half
The 6-foot-4 Clayton scored 14 points in the first half, but Florida trailed Auburn 46-38 at halftime, because the Tigers were bullying the Gators in the paint. Auburn held 26-12 edge in points in the paint at halftime.
Clayton provided some words of encouragement to the post players before the start of the second half.
"He just said don't listen to a bunch of different things, go out and play your game," Florida center Micah Handlogten said. "You all know how to play, you all know how to hoop, just do what you do. And so we were able to do that and come out with the win."
Clayton said being assertive offensively in the first half wasn't by plan but turned out to be necessary.
"I just let the game come to me," Clayton said. "I know I got a bunch of other guys around me who are threats also. If you try to double me, Tommy hit that three in the first half, loosened up their defense a little bit, they went away from me. Just read and reacting to the defense. I know I got weapons around me."
Walter Clayton Jr. kept big shots coming for Florida basketball in the second half
With his girlfriend an one-year-old daughter in the stands, Clayton made three of his five 3-pointers in the second half, finishing the game 11 of 18 from the floor and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Shooting inside the dome in front of a packed football stadium didn't faze him, as he sank an array of dizzying fall-away jumpers from beyond the arc with defenders ...
