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RALEIGH, N.C. ― As Florida basketball senior All-American point guard Walter Clayton Jr. dribbled down the court in the closing minutes of a brass knuckles, Round of 32 game against UConn, there was no fear of failure.
The 6-foot-3 Clayton met the moment down the stretch, lifting the Florida Gators (32-4) to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017. Florida needed all of Clayton's 23 points and some other heroics to end UConn's two-year reign as national champions, escaping with a 77-75 win that was highly in doubt until the final two minutes.
UConn led by as many six points in the second half before Clayton's first big 3-pointer, a contested shot from the left wing with 2:54 remaining, giving the Gators a 62-61 led. Then, with UF up 65-64 and 1:52 left, the Gators came up with a huge hustle play off a missed free throw, as Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh both poked at a ball that hit the floor. Somehow, it ended up in the hands of Clayton, who drove hard to the basket, was fouled, and made both free throws to give UF a 67-64 lead.
Then, off a UConn miss, Clayton drained another contested 3-point shot with 1:03 remaining, giving the Gators a 70-64 lead it wouldn't relinquish.
"At the end, my teammates trusted me with the ball in my hand to be able to shoot that shot, so I appreciate them for that trust and just sticking with it," Clayton said. "We knew this game wasn't going to be easy. They've got a championship pedigree, back-to-back champions. That's a great team. They had that experience. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We kept our composure."
The 6-foot-3 Clayton turned the ball over five times against a gameplan by UConn coach Dan Hurley designed to stop him.
"They were kind of denying me a little bit, but I done see that before," Clayton said. "I think it was kind more of a me thing. My teammates did a great job throughout the game, kind of picking up where I was slacking."
Florida missed 12 free throws, surrendered 14 UConn offensive rebounds and turned the ball over eight times in the first half, yet stayed alive as the No. 1 seed against the No. 8 seed Huskies.
"We made winning play after winning play down the stretch in the last six minutes after about 34 minutes of it not looking like it was going to go our way," Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said.
All three Florida senior guards stepped up at different points of the game. Alijah Martin scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, allowing UF to overcome the eight first-half turnovers and stay tied at halftime. Senior guard Will Richard scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
But when Florida needed shots the most, Clayton delivered.
"The last four minutes of the game, he put us on his back," Martin said. "Just super proud of him. I've seen the work he's put in every day. I've seen the development from the summer until now, and it's amazing to watch."
After the game, Hurley and Golden shared an embrace at midcourt in the postgame handshake line and whispered a message in his ear. It was perhaps a symbolic passing of the torch after the end of a historic UConn. For Florida, the run continues to San Francisco on Thursday as a Sweet 16 team for the first time this decade.
"The time was now for us to take that next step," Golden said. "Again, Florida basketball back where it belongs. Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction."
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Walter Clayton Jr. lifts Florida basketball to Sweet 16 with clutch shots vs UConn
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The 6-foot-3 Clayton met the moment down the stretch, lifting the Florida Gators (32-4) to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017. Florida needed all of Clayton's 23 points and some other heroics to end UConn's two-year reign as national champions, escaping with a 77-75 win that was highly in doubt until the final two minutes.
UConn led by as many six points in the second half before Clayton's first big 3-pointer, a contested shot from the left wing with 2:54 remaining, giving the Gators a 62-61 led. Then, with UF up 65-64 and 1:52 left, the Gators came up with a huge hustle play off a missed free throw, as Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh both poked at a ball that hit the floor. Somehow, it ended up in the hands of Clayton, who drove hard to the basket, was fouled, and made both free throws to give UF a 67-64 lead.
Then, off a UConn miss, Clayton drained another contested 3-point shot with 1:03 remaining, giving the Gators a 70-64 lead it wouldn't relinquish.
"At the end, my teammates trusted me with the ball in my hand to be able to shoot that shot, so I appreciate them for that trust and just sticking with it," Clayton said. "We knew this game wasn't going to be easy. They've got a championship pedigree, back-to-back champions. That's a great team. They had that experience. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We kept our composure."
The 6-foot-3 Clayton turned the ball over five times against a gameplan by UConn coach Dan Hurley designed to stop him.
"They were kind of denying me a little bit, but I done see that before," Clayton said. "I think it was kind more of a me thing. My teammates did a great job throughout the game, kind of picking up where I was slacking."
How Florida basketball survived an upset scare from the Huskies
Florida missed 12 free throws, surrendered 14 UConn offensive rebounds and turned the ball over eight times in the first half, yet stayed alive as the No. 1 seed against the No. 8 seed Huskies.
"We made winning play after winning play down the stretch in the last six minutes after about 34 minutes of it not looking like it was going to go our way," Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said.
All three Florida senior guards stepped up at different points of the game. Alijah Martin scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, allowing UF to overcome the eight first-half turnovers and stay tied at halftime. Senior guard Will Richard scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
But when Florida needed shots the most, Clayton delivered.
"The last four minutes of the game, he put us on his back," Martin said. "Just super proud of him. I've seen the work he's put in every day. I've seen the development from the summer until now, and it's amazing to watch."
After the game, Hurley and Golden shared an embrace at midcourt in the postgame handshake line and whispered a message in his ear. It was perhaps a symbolic passing of the torch after the end of a historic UConn. For Florida, the run continues to San Francisco on Thursday as a Sweet 16 team for the first time this decade.
"The time was now for us to take that next step," Golden said. "Again, Florida basketball back where it belongs. Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction."
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Walter Clayton Jr. lifts Florida basketball to Sweet 16 with clutch shots vs UConn
Continue reading...
