John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
Florida’s defense, which entered the night ranked 10th in KenPom, awoke in the final 20 minutes, making it hard for All-American big man Johni Broome, and even harder for Auburn’s perimeter attack, to get going. Twelve minutes into the second half, Auburn had only made four shots. The Gators locked down the Tigers from downtown, holding them to 7-of-25 on Saturday night.
An 11-0 second-half run changed the game, and in so many respects, it has summed up Florida’s road to the national title game. Will Richard delivered an and-one bucket, Clayton buried a 3, Alijah Martin followed with another triple, and finally, Clayton blitzed to the rim for a bucket off a turnover. A trio of players who were previously at Belmont, Iona and Florida Atlantic, respectively, have proven to be the perfect pieces to the puzzle assembled by Golden and his staff.
With Auburn clinging to a four-point lead with 12 minutes remaining, Clayton responded with another trifecta. With just over four minutes left, Denver Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. Clayton then came right back with a bucket off a steal.
“He always finds a way to make big-time winning plays down the stretch,” Golden said of Clayton. “There’s no player in America that you’d rather have the ball in his hands late in the game with the game on the line.”
Time and again, Clayton willed his team and punched the Gators’ ticket for Monday night.
“He’s incredible, man,” Florida sophomore Thomas Haugh said when asked about Clayton. “We trust him in every situation, and that’s what he does – he knocks down big shots every single day.”
None bigger than Saturday night in San Antonio, where Clayton became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to have back-to-back 30-plus point games in the Elite Eight or later in the NCAA Tournament. As a result, the Gators are one of two left standing.
“Our perimeter guys — Clayton, Martin and Richard — breathe life into everybody else on this team,” Golden said. “Tonight was a testament to our group in every way.”
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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