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Auburn legend Charles Barkley praises Gators, Walter Clayton

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•04/06/25•

On3Keith

NCAA Basketball: Final Four National Semifinal-Florida at Auburn
Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots the ball against Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson (31) during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There may be no one more proud to be an Auburn Tiger than former AU and NBA star Charles Barkley. But after watching Florida defeat his beloved program in the national semifinals Saturday night, Barkley — serving as a television analyst for CBS at the Final Four — had to give props to Gators star Walter Clayton and the Florida program.

“The best team won,” Barkley said. “Our guys played valiantly. It was a heck of a game. I’m so proud of our team and (Tigers) Coach Bruce Pearl and those kids. Yeah, I’m disappointed. But Florida was the better team. And listen, (Kenny Smith) said it and Clark (Kellogg) said it—don’t say more, don’t say it less, Mr. Clayton is the real deal. Mark Jackson always says, ‘Mama, there goes that man.’ He is the real deal. And the thing is, he kept them in it when they were struggling. And then the rest of the guys joined the party. Congratulations to the Florida Gators.”

Walter Clayton led all scorers with 34 on Saturday

Clayton led the Gators with a game-high 34 points in a performance that will go down as one of the best in program history. He scored 14 in the first half before exploding for 20 more after the break, hitting three of his game-best five 3-pointers and converting 6 of 9 shots from the field. He also added four rebounds, two assists, and went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.

With the performance, Clayton became the first player in college basketball since Larry Bird in 1979 to score 30-plus points in both the Elite Eight and the Final Four in consecutive games. His dominance caught the attention of fellow CBS analyst Kenny Smith, who praised Clayton’s skill and control throughout the game.

“Just able to get it done efficient,” Smith told viewers. “Not super flashy but it is flash. Meaning, it’s very effective and very on point. He gets to his area. He takes contact. He’s able to finish through the big. He deserves to take this and move it on.”

For what it’s worth, Barkley — who battled the Gators many times during his own Auburn playing days in the 1980s — also took time to credit Florida head coach Todd Golden for his second-half game plan. Auburn forward Johni Broome, the SEC Player of the Year, finished with 15 points, but was held to just three after halftime thanks to the Gators’ defensive adjustments.

“I want to give Coach Golden some love too,” Barkley said. “His strategy was fantastic. What he did, Auburn got lulled to sleep because you could tell Coach Pearl had said, ‘We don’t want to get into a run-and-gun situation’ so we were walking the ball up and down the court going to Broome … they just wore him down with the three big guys.”

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