The number of times the Steph Curry question was lobbed at Walter Clayton Jr. the last few days were just too many to count. Made sense, though. A lot of TV talking heads over the course of the 2024-25 college basketball season labeled the Florida point guard and elite shot-maker the college equivalent of Curry, with Clayton's postseason performance adding to the narrative.
Playing the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament at Chase Center, home to Curry and NBA Golden State Warriors, took things to another level.
Clayton was flattered, but not too interested in talking about.
"That's arguably the greatest point guard in the history of basketball, so I've got a ways to go," Clayton said Saturday night. "I wouldn't quite compare myself yet, but just thankful for the recognition."
Those words, though, came about an hour after Clayton did Steph-like things in Steph's building and ignited the Gators to one of the greatest wins in the program's basketball history and one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in NCAA Tournament history.
Clayton scored 13 of his game-high 30 points over the final five-plus minutes, as the top-seeded Gators erased a nine-point deficit with less than three minutes remaining with a rainstorm of clutch shots to shock 3-seed Texas Tech with an improbable 84-79 victory in the West Region championship that clinched a spot in the Final Four – the program's sixth and first in 11 years – next weekend at San Antonio, Texas.
It took Coach Todd Golden -- just 39 years old and with no NCAA wins on his resume until last weekend -- only three years to take the program from NIT bait to college basketball's grandest showcase.
"It's incredible, absolutely incredible," Golden said after winning a 10th straight and 16th of the previous 17. "It's a direct result of the work our players have done all year and the work my staff has done. They've all, to a man, been incredibly consistent, unselfish and worked their tails off. We don't do this without the collective work of our program."
Or, frankly, without Clayton, who finished seven of 14 from the floor, hit all three of his 3-pointers in the second half, went 13-for-14 at the free-throw line and dished four assists over his 35 minutes.
The only first-team All American in UF history bombed in two 3s inside the final two minutes – the first to tie the game, the second for the lead 30 seconds later – as the fourth-ranked Gators (33-4) finished the game on an 18-4 tear over the final 3:32. Clayton's two free throws with 10.6 seconds to go basically put the outcome away.
"I can't even begin to describe how much of an amazing player he is," UF sophomore forward Alex Condon said of the team's incomparable and creative scorer. "We give him the ball in the clutchest situations and tell him to go cook – and he delivers."
He had help. Backup sophomore forward Thomas Haugh was spectacular off the bench, finishing with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, and threw in a pair of late 3-pointers during the comeback that were every bit as pivotal as Clayton's big makes.
"What just happened, it's wild. I don't even know what to say?" an emotional Haugh said afterward. "I just know Walter Clayton is a cold, cold man!"
Haugh, with 12 points and six boards in the first half, was about the only thing the Gators had going for the majority of the game, as the ninth-ranked Red Raiders (28-9) stifled one of the nation's best offenses and was crushing UF with bruising post-ups from forwards Darrion Williams (23 points, 5 rebounds) and All-American JT Toppin (20 points, 11 rebounds), while racking up deflating offensive rebounds (14) and second-chance points (23).
With just eight minutes to play, UF had just four second-half field goals (on 16 attempts) and had missed all four of its 3-point attempts. Tech led 67-57.
"They started wearing us down and putting us in the basket a little bit," said Golden, who opted to stay with his defensive plan of leaving his bigs in one-on-one coverage in the post against the brutal back-downs of Williams and Toppin, rather than double-teaming and risking kick-outs to open 3-point shooters. "I thought giving up 3s at that point would be daggers for us. They were [making] 2s, they weren't 3s."
Pretty soon, they were making neither.
When Toppin posted Haugh for a layup with 3:11 to play, the Red Raiders led 75-66.
About that time, the ESPN "Win Probability" meter had Texas Tech at 95.6%.
Put another way: a 4.4% chance for the Gators.
"The reality was, yeah, we were down nine, but you still have to stay the course," said UF fifth-year guard Alijah Martin, who had 10 points, seven rebounds and is going to a second Final Four with a second team after leading Florida Atlantic's Cinderella run in 2023. "You don't have a choice. Period. That's what we did."
The first Florida possession after Toppin's bucket ended with a 3 off the left side from Haugh, with Golden immediately calling a timeout down 75-69 with 2:47 to go. A two-possession game.
"The message was we've got to make every winning play down the stretch," Golden said, summoning a similar call to arms as last week's late-game heroics in rallying from four down to beat two-time defending NCAA champion Connecticut in second-round play at Raleigh, North Carolina. "I didn't feel like we were without hope. I felt like our guys still felt we had a shot, but understood that we didn't have much time. We had to pick it up and make sure we got every block-out and make sure we got every 50-50 ball and, obviously, step up and make big shots."
They also had another thing in mind. They were going to foul Toppin, a 70.1% free-throw shooter but 60% on front ends this season, to try and extend the game. UF missed a chance at Toppin, though, and fouled Williams, an 84% guy at the line, instead.
Williams bounced the front end of a one-and-one, UF rebounded and Haugh bombed in second consecutive 3, this one from the right side, to make it a 3-point game, 75-72, with 2:24 to go.
This time, the Gators fouled Toppin, with Tech still in the one-and-one. Toppin missed a second straight front end (he was 0-for-5 at the line), with the Gators securing the rebound. In the Florida halfcourt, Clayton drove into the paint, saw a wall, then pivoted and retreated to the 3-point line, only to immediately turn around and rise up for a go-ahead 3 in the face of two Tech defenders, who immediately wheeled toward the Red Raiders bench in amazement, as if to say, "How?"
What was Clayton thinking he launched it?
"Nothing," he said. "My mind was blank."
Like Haugh said, a cold man.
Florida's first lead since the 13-minute mark was 78-77 with a minute to go and the Gators in the arena were going berserk.
"He's a hard cover, just so difficult," said Tech coach Grant McCasland, who lost this game like he won his "Sweet 16" rounder two nights earlier when the Red Raiders erased a 16-point second-half lead (down 12 with less than six to go) to oust Arkansas. "He can hurt you in so many ways and is just so crafty in his change of pace."
At Tech's end, Williams missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt, with Martin skying for the rebound and getting fouled with 22.2 seconds left. He made both free throws for a 3-point advantage.
With 16 seconds to go, again, it was Williams with a 3 for the tie. No good. UF center Rueben Chinyelu rebounded and shoveled the ball to Clayton, who was fouled and dropped a pair of free throws to go up 82-77 with 10.6 left.
Tech guard Chance McMillian drove through a cautious, playing-safe UF defense for a layup at 4.5 seconds, taking the margin back to three, but senior guard Will Richard closed out the win and Final Four ticket with two more free throws – UF went 25 of 27 at the line (92.%) to Tech's seven of 13 (53.8%) – with 3.4 seconds remaining.
UF hit its last four field-goal attempts of the game (all 3s) and six straight free throws over the final 22 seconds.
The championship hats and T-shirts, the confetti, trophy poses and net-cutting – oh, and tears, lots and lots of tears – ensued on the Chase Center floor.
On the podium, Clayton was announced the West Region's Most Valuable Player.
"There's not another player in America you would rather have right now than Walter Clayton with the ball in his hands in a big-time moment," Golden said. "He does a great job of controlling his emotions. Most players in that moment, their heart rate would go up, but he has a special talent to stay even-keeled."
A special talent at shot-making, too.
Doing so in Steph's house – in a dire, dead-in-the water situation – was just too perfect.
"I think that just goes to show the togetherness of the team, the love we have for each other to get through those tough times," Clayton said. "But we stay the course. It's the Gator mentality."
And it's going next to Texas.
