Coming into their Elite Eight matchup, Florida Basketball's script was to limit Texas Tech's three-point shooting and dominate the inside to cruise to a relatively simple victory.
The beauty of sports is that things don't always follow a script while still having a happy ending. In San Francisco, things did not follow the pre-game script, yet it still ended on the plus side of the good guys as the Gators have been off the Final Four for the first time since 2014.
Florida Basketball: I Ain't Heard No Fat Lady
Going into halftime, things seemed okay for Florida. Texas Tech had shot red hot from deep, yet the Gators were still ahead. As we saw against Maryland, the expectation is that the size for Florida would take over and wear the Red Raider down.
Spoiler alert, that is not what happened.
For the first time in a long time, Florida looked like they didn't have the inside advantage. After a hot start from deep, Texas Tech finished the game just 10-27 from three.
And yet with 3:52 to go, Florida was down eight.
The size advantage that Florida had on paper never materialized as the Gator generated 11 offensive rebounds to the 13 that Texas Tech managed.
So how did Florida not let the fat lady sing?
Well, Thomas Haugh had 20 points to keep Florida in contact until Walter Clayton turned into Steph Curry in the building that made Steph Curry famous.
In a moment that will forever live in Gator lore, Clayton dribbled out of the lane and fired up a three that would drive every single coach in America insane.
Except Clayton drilled it like no one should be nervous, and we should feel ashamed for even feeling doubt.
There are plenty of things to break down that Florida will need to do better in the Final Four, but one reality exists that we never got to say in the Mike White Era:
It's great to be a Florida Gator, and Florida is off to the Final Four in San Antonio.