At one level, a victory appeared unattainable for the No. 1 seed Florida Gators on Saturday’s Elite Eight matchup. The Gators had been on the point of elimination with six minutes remaining, struggling to match No. 3 Texas Tech’s physicality as their illustrious season gave the impression to be coming to an finish.
However, by way of a miraculous comeback led by a star and an surprising hero, the Gators are nonetheless dancing, reaching a Closing 4 in head coach Todd Golden’s first yr with this system. Florida’s Walter Clayton had 30 factors and Thomas Haugh completed with 20 to safe the Gators are journey to San Antonio subsequent weekend.
How did we get so far, and what’s subsequent for the Gators?
The loss that sparked all of it
The Gators had been among the finest groups in faculty basketball all season lengthy, being ranked contained in the Prime 10 since Week 6 of the common season.
However, there was one particular loss that basically served because the turnaround for them arguably being the most popular group in faculty basketball getting into the postseason: their 64-44 blowout defeat towards Tennessee.
Simply weeks earlier, the Gators had shut out the Volunteers, who had been the No. 1 group within the nation on the time, in a 30-point blowout in Gainesville, cementing themselves early within the SEC as a pressure to be reckoned with.
Nevertheless, within the second matchup between the 2, Florida fell flat, scoring a season-low 44 factors, as they shot a paltry 24.5 % from the sphere and 14.8 % from deep to report simply their third lack of the season.
It appeared like somebody lastly discovered a components to stifle the Gators’ high-flying offense, as star Walter Clayton was held in verify, whereas no different participant hit double figures within the loss.
It appears unlikely {that a} loss would function the turning level for a group. However, that’s precisely what occurred for the Gators as a result of they’d go on to be the most effective group in faculty basketball for the ultimate 5 weeks of the common season.
Florida began to get sizzling, rattling off back-to-back wins towards No. 1 Auburn and No. 22 Mississippi State on the street. Later, after an surprising loss to Georgia, the Gators bounced again with wins over No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 7 Alabama, the latter being on the street.
The Gators completed the common season 9-1, resulting in them incomes the No. 2 seed within the SEC Event, the place they did some main harm. They rattled off No. 21 Missouri by 14 within the quarterfinals earlier than blowing out Alabama 104-82, maintaining Mark Sears in verify to succeed in the SEC Championship Recreation.
Then got here the rematch towards the group that circled their season: Tennessee. With the season sequence at 1-1 and each video games being blowouts, Florida regarded to take the mantle as soon as and for all.
And so they did, to the tune of an 86-77 victory to assert the SEC Event Championship, ending off the season with six straight wins, together with 5 towards ranked opponents.
However, whereas the celebrations started, Florida knew that the work wasn’t near executed, having a vivid reminiscence of the 2024 season of their minds, the place they had been a one-and-done within the NCAA event.
Adversity within the first weekend
Incomes a No. 1 seed within the West area, the Gators cruised previous Norfolk State within the first spherical of the NCAA event.
Adversity struck once more as they had been dealt a tricky hand with No. 8 seed UConn ready within the wings. The Huskies had confronted an uneven season, marred by accidents and inconsistencies, however head coach Dan Hurley had received back-to-back championships and was searching for a serious upset.
The sport proved to be a battle. The Gators by no means acquired a lot separation within the first half, as the 2 sides had been tied at 31 heading into the break. And so they even trailed for a lot of the second half as UConn jumped out to a slight lead and maintained it for almost your complete remaining interval.
All of it got here all the way down to the ultimate minutes. UConn had held the lead for the primary 17 minutes of the second half, though Florida managed to maintain it tight, trailing 61-59 after Alex Condon hit one in every of two free throws with 3:28 remaining.
Getting a key cease, Florida star guard Walter Clayton rose to the event, hitting a clutch three to present Florida its first lead of the half at 62-61 with beneath three minutes to go. However, they had been met with resistance, as UConn’s Solo Ball tied issues up at 64 with simply over two minutes to go.
From there, although, it was Clayton’s time to take over. The star guard was capable of knock down a pair of free throws earlier than hitting a clutch three to present Florida a six-point lead with 1:07 remaining.
It was the free-throw sport for the Gators from there, which proved to be sufficient for a 77-75 victory, advancing them to the Candy 16 in an exciting end.
Harm causes concern
Two wins for the Gators within the 2025 NCAA event led them to going through the Maryland Terrapins within the Candy 16 in a matchup that appeared centered round dimension. Maryland had elite bigs Derik Queen and Julian Reese, who had been their components to success for a lot of the yr, whereas Florida’s depth within the frontcourt was a focal a part of their well-rounded nature.
The primary half was a story of two elements, because the Gators jumped out to a fast 20-9 lead, because of threes from Walter Clayton, Will Richard and Thomas Haugh. However, as soon as once more, they had been handled adversity as star ahead Alex Condon suffered a lower-body damage and instantly hobbled to the locker room.
With Condon out, the Gators began to lose their contact as Maryland overcame the 11-point deficit with a 15-4 run of their very own, tying issues up at 24 apiece with 7:11 remaining within the half.
From there, a slugfest ensued because the Terrapins and Gators went back-and-forth with six lead modifications and 4 ties over the ultimate six minutes as Florida took a 40-38 lead into halftime.
Needing a fast response, Florida stepped on the gasoline pedal to start the second half, leaping out on a 10-4 run to safe a double-digit lead. However, Maryland wouldn’t go away, as chopping the result in six because of a layup from Julian Reese and a key three from Rodney Rice.
Then got here the turning level: the return of Alex Condon, who had been warming up within the tunnel for the six minutes of the interval.
With their full depth in use, the Gators and their tempo started to out duel the Terrapins’ short-handed rotation, as they pulled again out to a double-digit lead with simply over eight minutes to go. From there, Maryland by no means minimize the lead inside 10, as Florida cruised on to the Elite Eight with an 87-71 victory over the Terrapins.
Condon didn’t gentle up the stat sheet, ending with two factors, two rebounds, an help and a block in 9 minutes throughout the second half. However, his presence allowed Florida to rotate of their bigs extra successfully, maintaining them operating in transition, which Maryland wasn’t capable of counteract as the sport slipped away.
Now, the ultimate problem standing of their method of a Closing 4 was the resilient, tough-minded Texas Tech Crimson Raiders.
A miraculous comeback and an surprising hero
Florida’s first half towards Texas Tech was similar to their one towards Maryland, solely the tables had been turned originally.
After taking pictures simply 25 % from three of their 85-83 extra time win over Arkansas within the Candy 16, Texas Tech got here out firing from deep, hitting six of their first seven three-point makes an attempt.
That acquired the Crimson Raiders out to a 24-19 begin over the Gators, however Florida started to battle again. Utilizing the free throw line to their benefit, Florida slowly clawed again to regain the lead, however they weren’t getting their regular offense early on, needing a participant to step up.
And that’s precisely what occurred. After 5 early factors in his first stint on the court docket, reserve ahead Thomas Haugh hit a serious three to chop Texas Tech’s result in one with beneath six minutes to go within the first half.
From there, he and Walter Clayton had been the 2 solutions for Florida, because the duo mixed to attain 13 of the final 15 first-half factors for the Gators, ending the half with 12 and eight factors, respectively.
The sport remained a slugfest within the second half as each groups traded buckets, however Texas Tech actually began to tug away with a 12-2 run halfway by way of the interval, giving the Crimson Raiders a 67-57 lead with 7:49 to go.
Because the Crimson Raiders began to surge ahead, it was their physicality down low that gave them the benefit. Forwards Darrion Williams and J.T. Toppin took benefit of 1-on-1 matchups down low, powering their solution to the rim with backdowns and rolls off screens to get basket after basket, outpacing Florida’s offense.
With their season on the brink, down by 10, the Gators wanted a solution on each ends of the court docket, and quick.
Walter Clayton began issues off with a 3 and a layup, however Texas Tech stored the stress ahead, as a J.T. Toppin layup acquired it to 75-66 with 3:14 left. Then, magic began to seem for the Gators.
Working the pick-and-roll, Clayton fired a deep three that rimmed out. However, Thomas Haugh stored issues alive with a key rebound, kicking the ball out earlier than receiving the cross again for a 3. Cash.
Sensing the momentum coming, Florida’s Todd Golden referred to as timeout, electing to go together with a daring technique: begin enjoying the foul sport with Texas Tech’s bigs. And it labored out. Darrion Williams was the primary one fouled, going through a 1-on-1 with 2:43 left, and he missed the entrance finish, giving Florida the ball again.
Setting again into their offense, Florida went again to their pick-and-roll between Clayton and Haugh. Sensing a double group, Clayton kicked out to Haugh, who faked a cross earlier than firing a second consecutive three. Cash once more.
Similar to that, the Gators had all of the momentum, going through a 75-72 deficit with simply over two minutes left. And the plan continued, as Florida then fouled J.T. Toppin, who additionally missed the entrance finish of a 1-and-1, creating a serious alternative for the Gators to tie issues up.
“We felt like being down 9 or 10, no matter it was, on the under-four, we needed to discover a solution to get just a few extra possessions within the ball sport and attempt to stretch it out slightly bit,” Florida head coach Todd Golden stated after the sport about his daring technique. “And being within the one-on-one [bonus], we thought that was an opportunistic time to foul their entrance court docket, given the chance. Toppin was the man we wished to foul. And Williams was a second choice. And thankfully, they missed two entrance ends. These had been big-time performs that flipped the sport slightly bit.”
And from there, it was all Walter Clayton, who fired an off-balance three working one-on-one from the wing to tie issues up at 75. Then, after Williams acquired a backdown layup for Texas Tech, Clayton created one thing out of nothing, pulling the ball again and firing a fadeaway three after getting nothing on a minimize to the basket. Cash instances three.
Instantly, Florida, as soon as staring elimination within the face, had the lead on the most important second of the sport, main 78-77 with lower than a minute to go. The Crimson Raiders went again to Williams, who misfired on a 3, and from there, it was the free-throw sport for the Gators.
Alijah Martin, Clayton and Will Richard every knocked down a pair of free throws because the Gators pulled off the miraculous comeback, reaching the Closing 4 with an 84-79 victory over Texas Tech in one more thrilling end.
All season lengthy, any person has discovered a solution to step up for the Gators. Within the Candy 16, it was a collective effort, as Martin and Richard had been the keys to the turnaround. On Saturday, it was the star, Clayton, and an surprising hero in Haugh.
“It goes to point out how collectively all of us are,” Clayton stated after the sport. “Many instances may simply simply break, begin pointing the finger, blaming one another for this and that. However we simply stayed collectively by way of the tip and stayed the course. And fortunately, we acquired it executed as we speak.”
“He’s meant every part,” Clayton stated of Haugh. “ what I’m saying? I’ve stated it a number of instances, I feel a number of guys don’t get sufficient recognition. Tommy is unquestionably one in every of them. He is available in each day, places his head down and works. There’s much more to his sport, however he’s sacrificing for the group. He performs his position and does every part we’d like him to do. I’m grateful for him and I really like him and let’s get two extra.”
The underdog mentality
All season lengthy, the Gators have been among the finest groups in faculty basketball. However, by way of all of the success, they’ve been fueled by that underdog mentality with a chip on their shoulder, and each Clayton and Haugh resonate with that.
Clayton was an unranked recruit popping out of highschool, initially touchdown at Iona with Rick Pitino as a freshman earlier than transferring to Florida final yr. Two years in with the Gators, he’s turn into one of many greatest stars in faculty basketball and a primary cause why Florida is headed to the Closing 4.
“He’s clearly a blessing to have in our program, have on our group,” Golden stated about Clayton after the sport. “He’s an unimaginable participant, however outdoors of that, he’s a terrific chief. He’s been every part we may have requested him to be for this program since he acquired to campus two years in the past. Clearly, this yr he’s taken on much more ball-handling tasks for us. He’s closed out a variety of video games for us. And there’s not one other participant in America you’ll moderately have proper now than Walter Clayton with the ball in his arms in a big-time second. As he stated, I feel he stated he blacked out or no matter, he doesn’t get too excessive or too low. He does a terrific job controlling his feelings. And most gamers in that second, their coronary heart price would stand up. He has that particular expertise and talent to remain even-keeled.
Golden added, “The most important factor in these moments is it’s worthwhile to have any person that wishes to take these pictures. They’re clearly troublesome performs, however somebody that has the boldness to step up and make unimaginable particular person performs. And Walter did that for us tonight.”
However, Clayton isn’t the one one who got here into faculty as an under-appreciated prospect. Star ahead Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Denzel Aberdeen had been all three-star recruits.
The Gators have gotten gamers from all around the nation, however many have purchased into this system, staying true to Florida for extra than simply this season and are actually reaping the rewards of that course of.
Subsequent up for Florida is the Closing 4, the place they’ll tackle the winner of the Auburn Tigers versus the Michigan State Spartans. Battle-tested by way of many various kinds of video games, the Gators have seen a tricky path on their solution to a championship. Now, they’re simply two video games away from attaining that remaining aim.