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Sweet Survival: Gators stop UConn, reach Sweet 16

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•03/23/25•

On3Keith

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round-Connecticut at Florida
Mar 23, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) reacts after scoring a basket during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It wasn’t easy, but the No. 3-ranked Florida Gators have advanced to the Sweet 16. The Gators, the top seed in the West Region, trailed much of the second half Sunday before rallying late to knock of eighth-seeded UConn 77-75 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game in Raleigh, N.C. The Huskies, the two-time defending national champs, had won 13 straight NCAA tourney games.

Florida, now 32-4, got 23 points from senior All-American guard Walter Clayton. He hit several big shots down the stretch to help the Gators come-from-behind and escape what would have been a major upset. Guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard, added 18 and 15 points, respectively to complement Clayton.

Florida has now reached the Sweet 16 a total of 12 times. The Gators’ most recent trip came in 2017.

UConn finished the season 24-11. The Huskies got 22 points from freshman forward Liam McNeeley.

These were some of the game’s key moments …

-Clayton hit a 3-pointer with 1:07 to give the Gators a 70-64 lead. It was his fifth made 3-pointer of the game.

-With 2:54 left in regulation, Clayton drained a 3-pointer from the right wing with a defender near him to give the Gators a 62-61 lead, their first since it was 31-28 late in the first half. A dunk by Richard 24 seconds late put UF ahead 64-61.

-After a scramble for the ball on the Gators’ offensive end, Richard picked it up on the right wing and made a 3-pointer to bring Florida to within 55-54 at the 6:45 mark.

-With 7:57 left and the Gators down four, Clayton hit a fadeaway 3-pointer from the right wing to draw Florida with 52-51.

-With Florida trailing 40-34 and looking awful at times, Richard knocked down a 3-pointer with 15:19 left.

-Less than two minutes into the second half, UConn guard Hassan Diarra got underneath the basket and converted a layup on a pass from Solo Ball. He was fouled by Gators forward Thomas Haugh on the play. Diarra made the free throw to cap a 10-1 UConn run and give the Huskies a 38-32 lead.

-At the 5:02 mark of the opening half, Martin found Clayton in the left corner and with a man in his face he drained a 3-pointer while floating to his left. It was his first 3-pointer and first made field goal in the game after an 0-for-4 start. It gave Florida a 24-20 lead.

-With 7:13 left in the half, Martin made a 3-pointer from the left wing after UConn had just taken its first lead of the game. The put the Gators back in front 19-18.

-With Florida up 4-0, Clayton got a rebound off a McNeeley missed 3-pointer and the Gators quickly got the ball up the court. Before long, Richard had made a picture-perfect alley-oop to Martin, who caught the ball high in the air and slammed it home with authority to put UF ahead 6-0 at the 17:04 mark.

Other notes for the Florida Gators-UConn Huskies game

-Florida had posted a 7-0 record in the month of March, scoring 94.0 points per game before Saturday’s contest.

-The Gators improved to 2-5 in the all-time series against UConn. The lone previous win for UF came in the 1994 Sweet 16. The Gators advanced their first Final Four two days later.

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