Florida star Clayton drops 34, closes out Auburn

SAN ANTONIO -- Whenever things begin to fall apart, Florida turns to its star.

And it's in those moments when the best version of Walter Clayton Jr. shows up.

It happened again on Saturday, as Clayton took it upon himself -- again -- to ruin Auburn's dreams and send the Tigers home. The Associated Press first team All-American scored 34 points in the 79-73 Final Four win. A late 3-point play -- a bucket and a free throw after a foul -- sealed the win for a determined Florida squad.

On Feb. 8, Clayton scored 19 points and made 50 percent of his 3-point attempts in a 90-81 road victory over Auburn. On Saturday, he was even better.

Earlier this week, Alijah Martin said Clayton's gift is that he never seems to panic in the diciest moments.

"He's always calm," Martin said this week. "He's just calm."

During the NCAA tournament, Florida has found itself with its back against the wall several times -- against UConn, Maryland, Texas Tech and, on Saturday, Auburn.

Down by nine points early in the second half, the Gators turned to their hero, who extended his postseason display of backbreaking shots as he led Florida out of another hole. The Gators now advance to the program's first national title game since 2007, when the they won back-to-back championships.

Martin, the Robin to Clayton's Batman all year and a Final Four participant with Florida Atlantic in 2023, had a series of SportsCenter-worthy plays that ignited the Florida fans in the Alamodome in the second half. His contribution (17 points) can't be overlooked. But Saturday -- and the whole NCAA tournament, really -- belonged to Clayton.

In the first half, seven Auburn players, including Broome, had scored at least four points. The half ended with the Tigers taking an eight-point lead into halftime. Early in the second half, the Gators were down by nine points. But a flurry of plays later -- the kind they always seem to execute with their backs against the wall -- the Gators had tied the game.

When Clayton scored with 15:29 to play, the Gators took a 51-49 lead.

Bruce Pearl's nightmare had come true.

"Clayton has been the best guard on the floor every single night," Pearl said on Friday. "Clayton can't be the best guard on the floor tomorrow."

But he was.

The final outcome was not a mystery once Clayton became extraordinary in the second half again.

In San Antonio, Florida had Walter Clayton Jr.

Auburn did not.