Florida Tops Auburn Behind 34 Points From Walter Clayton Jr.
Apr 5, 2025, 7:21 PM
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 05: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was captured using a remote camera.) Alijah Martin #15 of the Florida Gators dunks the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half in the Final Four game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on April 05, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
All four No. 1 seeds are in the Final Four for the first time since 2008, making for a clash of titans on Saturday afternoon and evening for a right to go to the National Championship Game.
The first of the two battles was between the No. 1 overall seed Auburn Tigers and their mates from the SEC, the Florida Gators.
(1) FLORIDA WILL PLAY FOR A #NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP 🙌
The Gators down (1) Auburn 79-73 to advance to the title game 🐊 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3rwWJdak87
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025
The Gators and Tigers met once this year already as part of SEC league play. It was the first week of February, and until that point, Auburn was undefeated in the conference at 9-0.
The Gators went on the road to Neville Arena and controlled the game from start to finish, handing Auburn their first loss 90-81. There were five players for Florida in double figures, but Walter Clayton Jr. led the way with 19 points, 12 from beyond the arc.
First Half
Florida and Auburn started out the gates at a break-neck pace, scoring a combined 45 points just in the first ten minutes.
Neither team was able to pull away in through the better part of the first half. At the under-four-minute timeout, Auburn maintained a four-point lead at 33-29, but the Tigers turned on the burners to close the half.
The lead jumped from four to nine in just over a minute, and Auburn was able to close strong, entering the locker room up 8.
Johni Broome was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 12 points on 5-10 from the floor, and Walter Clayton Jr. continued his strong March play with 14 points in the first half for Florida.
Second Half
A Jumper from Chad Baker-Mazara and a free throw from Johni Broome stretched the lead to nine in the opening minutes of the second half, but Florida showed how dangerous they can be over quick stretches.
It only took 2:18 for the Gators to explore offensively and go on a 9-0 run to tie the game. Just a few minutes later, at the 15:30 mark, Florida regained the lead.
The margin became razor thin as the deficit stayed minimal through the middle part of the second half.
Including the comeback, there were six lead changes in the middle part of the second frame, but with 6:31 left on the clock, Florida took the lead and would not relinquish it for the remainder of the game. This seemed to have been solidified by a breakaway poster jam from Alijah Martin just after Florida took the lead for the last time.
OH MY GOODNESS ALIJAH MARTIN POSTER 😱#MarchMadness @GatorsMBK pic.twitter.com/JFyVsSaOT1
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025
Auburn cut it to one at the four-minute mark but lost control from there. The lead for the Gators ballooned to as many as eight thanks to an individual 5-0 run from Walter Clayton Jr., and then free throws down the stretch kept the deficit at two possessions.
The Florida Gators completed the comeback, defeating the Auburn Tigers 79-73
Walter Clayton Jr. etched his name in the March Madness story with another monster performance of 34 points and five three-pointers that included a few timely buckets.
WALTER CLAYTON JR WAS UNSTOPPABLE VS AUBURN 😤
– 34 PTS
– 11/18 FG
– 5/8 3PT
– Advances to National Championship pic.twitter.com/8s3URp85RB— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) April 6, 2025
The Cardiac Florida Gators
Although Auburn was either in the lead or within one bucket of the lead for a long stretch, it seemed that Florida had completely snatched all the momentum when they went on their run to take the lead. Additionally, close games and pressure situations have been familiar for the Gators during their March run.
Florida almost saw their season come to an end in the second round against the defending champion Uconn Huskies, who held the lead throughout the second half and were up by three with less than four minutes to go, but a late surge led by Walter Clayton Jr. propelled the Gators to a victory. In the Elight Eight, it was a similar story. With less than three minutes to go, Texas Tech led Florida by nine, and ESPN Analytics gave the Red Raiders a 95.6% chance to win at that point. But that was when the madness ensued, and the Gators went on a 15-4 run to close the game.
For Auburn, on the other hand, their smallest margin of victory was six points against Michigan State in the Elite Eight, winning every other tournament game by double digits. Now, trapped in a tight game with Florida, the Tigers were in unfamiliar territory.
Unfortunately for Auburn, their best player went cold down the stretch. Wooden Award finalist Johni Broome led his team in scoring at the half, but his final bucket of the game came just five minutes into the second half, meaning he didn’t score again for the final 15 minutes of the game, which is not a good recipe.
The Florida Gators In The National Championship Game
The Gators are headed to their fourth National Championship Game and first since 2007, when they won their second consecutive title. Florida awaits the winner of Duke vs Houston.
