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Walter Clayton's clutch 3-pointer propels Florida to Elite Eight win, Final Four berth vs. Texas Tech

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•03/29/25•

ChandlerVessels

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Walter Clayton was the hero for Florida on Saturday, capping off a comeback to punch the Gators’ ticket to the Final Four. After the Gators trailed much of the way in the final minutes against Texas Tech, Clayton nailed a 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining to give Florida a one-point lead in an eventual 84-79 win.

Things were tied up at 55 with around 11 minutes remaining before the Red Raiders went on a 12-2 run to take a double-digit lead with 7:49 left. A dunk from Federiko Federiko forced Florida to call a timeout.

Florida still trailed by nine points with 3:14 to go, but the Gators refused to go away. Thomas Haugh hit a 3-pointer with 2:43 remaining to cut the lead to 75-69. That would be the beginning of a four straight triples for the Gators in a wild comeback sequence.

Clayton also hit a 3-pointer with 1:45 remaining to tie the game at 75 before Texas Tech answered on the other end to retake the lead. But Clayton fired right back and finished with a game-high 30 points.

Florida got the stop on the next possession and the Red Raiders had to foul from there on out as the Gators hit their free throws to seal the win. Other than Clayton, Haugh chipped in 20 points off the bench.

In the first half, Texas Tech knocked down a couple of 3-pointers to take an early 6-0 lead within the first minute of the game. The Red Raiders’ advantage wouldn’t last long, however, as Florida took its first lead with 15:14 in the first half after a 3-pointer from Haugh.

The teams traded baskets from there as the lead exchanged hands a few more times before Florida pulled away for a 40-37 halftime lead. Texas Tech shot 43.7% from 3-point range in the first half to keep it in the game.

The Final Four for Florida is the first since 2014. It is also the first in the career of coach Todd Golden, who is in just his third season at the helm in Gainesville. The Gators have six Final Four appearances overall in program history and have won two national championships.

With Florida advancing, it’s also still possible that all four No. 1 seeds make the Final Four for the first time since 2008. No. 1 seed Duke will face No. 2 Alabama in the nightcap Saturday evening as the Blue Devils will hope to keep that possibility alive.

The Gators move on to play either No. 1 Auburn or No. 2 Michigan State, which will play Sunday. The Final Four is set to begin April 5 in San Antonio.