Welcome to Walter’s world! Walter Clayton leads Florida to the title game

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San Antonio – This is the moment that has become his Through this magical Florida The season, which was filled with reversals, turning, historical vomiting and more. For Walter Clayton Jr.The situation filled with pressure, the late games were nothing new. Just a week before, Gators’ superpower guard helped his team gather with nine down, and there was 2:51 to shock Texas Tech and hit a ticket to Final Four.

This time, with less than two minutes remaining in Saturday’s national semi -final match against the best seed AburnClayton and Gators wanted to deliver the dagger. Keeping a three -point lead and when the clock shot, Clayton had the ball in his hands. The first -team all -American showed the world again why Kemba Walker was in this tournament, sliding down the tape, buried the runner and took a foul to send believers in Florida in anger.

“He does it all year for us,” said Florida Todd Golden coach in Clayton in an exclusive interview with Fox Sports after the match. “I don’t want to say that we take it for granted, but we believe he is the best guard in America. He is a great leader for us.”

Clayton’s bucket to remember has served as another gold The moment in a season filled with them, and now, for the first time since the championship teams of Billy Donovan in Florida in Florida 2006 and ’07, Gators will return to the national title game. Florida overcame another deficit in the second half to take off Auburn and finish the Tigers season, 79-73.

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Florida Defense, which entered the night at 10th place in Kenpom, woke up in the last 20 minutes, which made it difficult for the Almighty great man Johnna BroomeAnd even harder for Auburn -the perimeter attack, to go. Twelve minutes in the second half, Auburn made only four shots. The Gators locked Tigers from the city center, holding them to 7 from 25 on Saturday night.

Running in the second half from 11-0 changed the game, and in so much aspect summarized Florida Road to the National Title game. Will Richard Delivered one bucket, Clayton buried 3, Aliah Martin Another triple followed, and finally, Clayton ran on a rim for a bucket of traffic. The trio of players previously in Belmont, Iona and Florida Atlantic, proved to be the perfect pieces of the puzzle collected by Golden and his staff.

Since Auburn attacked four -point lead with the remaining 12 minutes, Clayton responded with another trifect. With the remaining just over four minutes, Denver Jones knocked down 3-poen to make him a game with one point. Clayton then returned with a bucket from the theft.

“He always finds a way to make a win in great times down,” Golden said of Clayton. “There are no players in America to rather have a ball in his hands late in playing with a game on the line.”

Clayton was willing his team from time to time and hit Gators’ ticket for Monday night.

“It’s amazing, man,” Florida Sophomore Thomas Haugh he said about Clayton. “We trust him in every situation, and that’s what he does – he knocks down big guns every day.”

Nothing bigger than Saturday night in San Antoni, where Clayton became the first player from Larry Bird in 1979, who had a return-leaned and leaked tournament in an elite eighth or later tournament. As a result, Gators are one of two left.

“Our guys from the perimeter – Clayton, Martin and Richard – breathe life for everyone else on this team,” Golden said. “Tonight was the testament of our group in every respect.”

John Fanta is national basketball television and a Fox Sports writer. It covers the sport in various capacities, from the invitation of the games to the FS1 to serving as the leading host on the Big East Digital Network to provide comments on the field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on @John_fant.

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