If there was any doubt that Walter Clayton Jr. is an elite basketball player, it was all put to rest tonight. In a game where the Gators needed someone to step up and take the lead when down by nine in the second half, Clayton Jr. did what he has done all season long and put the Gators on his back and led them to a win.
Clayton Jr. finished the game with 34 points and was not just the leading scorer for the Gators but the leading scorer for both teams. The soon-to-be NBA draft pick also added four rebounds and two assists to his stat line, but truly, it was his ability to shoot and get to the basket that made him so valuable for the Gators tonight.
Behind Clayton Jr.'s amazing game, the Gators took down SEC foe Auburn in the Final Four 79-73 to advance to the National Championship for the first time since 2007.
Head coach Todd Golden didn't even know how many points his star player had after the win
After the game, Clayton Jr. and head coach Todd Golden joined sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson for what was an anticipated post-game interview. Clayton Jr. talked about how grateful he is to play for this team and to have his teammates trust him as much as they do. A player of Clayton Jr.'s caliber can't do what he does if his team doesn't get him the ball.
When the attention moved to Golden, Wolfson said that the young head coach didn't even know that his star player dropped 34 points on the No. 1 overall seed in the Final Four. Golden response spoke to the soul of every single Gator fan.
"I’m just used to seeing him put the ball in the basket I guess,” Golden said. “He’s done what he’s done all year for us. In a big moment, he stepped up, hit huge shots, settled our team down, and made winning plays when we needed them the most."
Florida is one win away from a title.
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 2025
Todd Golden and Walter Clayton Jr. join @tracywolfson after an incredible victory. pic.twitter.com/t7SUWeePdy
To be fair, it isn't anything new for him to see Clayton Jr. leading the Gators in scoring, or even scoring this much, especially in the NCAA Tournament. Clayton Jr. dropped 30 points in Florida's win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and the only game he didn't score more than 20 in was against Maryland in the Sweet 16 when he was held to just 13 points.
Clayton Jr.'s 34 points are a season-high for the senior guard and just might be a legacy game for this young man. Now he just has to do it one more time in two days when the Gators will play in the National Championship.
As the first game played in the Final Four, Florida will now patiently wait to see who the winner of Duke and Houston will be and immediately begin preparing for the championship on Monday. Florida will take on the winner of that game on Monday, April 7, at 8:50 p.m. EST on CBS.