Walter Clayton Jr. comes up clutch once again for Florida, pushing Gators to Final Four
The game plan for Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon was to limit Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. Do that, and the Red Raiders had a good shot to return to the Final Four since their first trip in 2019.
For most of the Elite Eight matchup, Texas Tech did that, and with just under eight minutes to go, led the Gators by 10. At that point, Clayton had 17 points, with 11 coming from the free-throw line. He was 3-for-8 from the field − all layups − and had gone more than 15 minutes without making a shot.
Florida's Final Four hopes were fading before the All-America guard scored 13 points in the final five-and-a-half minutes on 4-for-6 shooting, getting the Gators back in the game. He capped it with a three-pointer with 59 seconds left as Florida locked down an 84-79 win and a trip to the Final Four for the first time since 2014.
His game-clinching three was a thing of beauty: Clayton took a step behind the arc and as two defenders closed in, knocked down the bucket like it was a layup.
"Thankful the shots went in," Clayton told a reporter after the game. "We were locked until the final buzzer sounded."
He finished with a game-high 30 points, 22 coming in the second half. Speaking to a CBS reporter, Florida forward Thomas Haugh only needed a few words to describe his teammate:
"He’s a cold man," Haugh said.
Florida has been an offensive machine this season, averaging 85.5 points per game − third-best in Division I − and has a deep roster. Now, Clayton has given the Gators a chance for their first national championship in 18 years.
Nailing clutch shots isn't new for Clayton in this tournament. There was also the big shot he hit against Connecticut. With Florida up by three in the final 90 seconds, Clayton pulled up from behind the arc with a hand in his face, and the ball hit nothing but net.
"He's a hard cover. He's just so difficult. He hurts you in so many different ways," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said after the game. "I didn't do a good-enough job of keeping the ball out of Clayton's hands."
Florida coach Todd Golden even compared Clayton's shot-making ability to NBA superstar Steph Curry.
"The one thing where Walt 100% is similar to Steph is their incredible shot-making and their ability to get it off whenever they want," Golden said. "Have the IQ and intelligence to get separation, and tend to be unflappable with a hand in his face.
"We want Walt taking those shots for us down the stretch."
The season hasn't ended yet for Florida, but Saturday's victory is another highlight in what's been an incredible college journey for Clayton. He was a zero-star high school recruit but went to Iona to play under coach Rick Pitino. After proving his freshman season that he could play at that level, he became a star for the Gaels as a sophomore and was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year.
When Pitino left for St. John's, Clayton returned to his home state. He made an immediate impression with the Gators last season but topped that this year.
"There's not another player in America you would rather have right now than Walter Clayton with the ball in his hands in a big-time moment," Golden said.