SAN ANTONIO — Florida and Auburn had faced one another already, but when it came time for a second meeting, the stage couldn’t get any grander than the Final Four.
Throughout the week, talking points were exchanged. Florida defeated the Tigers on the Plains 90-81 in February, and beating the top team in the nation twice rarely happens. The response? That win was without Alijah Martin, a senior guard and, more notably, Florida’s second-leading scorer.
It turns out the latter had more validity.
While Walter Clayton Jr.’s 34-point performance led the way, Martin’s 17 was the difference as Florida swept Auburn with a 79-73 victory on Saturday. The pair of senior guards guided Florida through what was an offensive-efficiency-turned-physical Final Four battle, escaping on the other side with a national championship berth — Florida’s first since 2007.
“I'm incredibly proud of these guys for getting this win,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said after the game, taking a second to gather himself. “We're alive, man. We're playing for this national championship on Monday night.”
In the rounds of media availability on Friday, a significant portion of the questions Martin received focused on his experience in the Final Four two years ago with FAU: Was he more prepared? Would the lights, which are always brighter on the national championship court, be dimmer for him?
When the game hung in the balance in the middle of the second half, he answered each query a day later. In a moment that defined an evening in which the Alamodome’s court was littered with bodies, Martin stole the ball and spurted past multiple diving Auburn defenders. With a shattering dunk to give Florida a 66-63 lead, a roar erupted from San Antonio to Gainesville. The Gators never trailed after.
“From that point forward I thought we did a good job ever getting back to ourselves,” Golden said. “I think it starts with our perimeter. Walt, Will and Alijah, senior leaders, guys that have been through the fire a little bit before.”
From Martin’s dunk on, it was Clayton Jr.’s show. The senior hit shot after shot, scoring 10 points in the final five minutes to become the 15th player to score over 30 points in a Final Four game. That wasn’t surprising given his recent game-defining performance.
In his final moments of the night, he looked focused, despite a brief smirk, hitting a pair of free throws that put a bow on Florida’s night, which featured a notable comeback.
"He's poised, calm and collected, confident in himself," senior guard Will Richard said, looking amusingly frustrated that he had to compliment his teammate. "We have that confidence in him."
The offensive juggernauts traded baskets to open the game, with neither taking a lead of more than nine in the first half — the difference peaking only moments before the break. The Gators trailed 46-38 heading into the locker room, and in the final moments of the half, Miles Kelly, an Auburn senior guard, hit a 3 that concluded an 11-4 run.
As the ball dropped through the hoop, a silhouette of a collapsed Clayton Jr. laid on the ground in front of Kelly. His 14 points — including 10 of his team’s first 21 — were all that kept Florida in the game up to that point.
That was until the second half.
Despite placing among the top 5 in the nation in rebounding percentage, the Gators trailed on the boards in the first half 17-16, while their front court scored a combined eight points.
“I thought Auburn played great in the first half,” Golden said. “We did some nice things, but we did not have an answer for their physicality in the paint.”
That adjusted in the second half, with Florida securing a differential of 10 in the last 20 minutes.
After trailing for the majority of the first 20 minutes, Florida sprinted out of the break with an 11-3 run that featured three consecutive 3s, all of which sponsored by rebounds. From there, the offensive giants slumped into a fistfight, which the Gators were more equipped for.
“The heart and just toughness both physically, mentally that these guys showed today was incredible,” Golden said. “[We have] great players with really, really a high level of confidence.”
With a doubly contested step-back 3 from Clayton Jr. that established a late 69-65 lead, Florida ousted Auburn from behind the arc. The Gators finished shooting 38.1 percent on 21 attempts. Auburn concluded with a horrific 28-percent clip despite taking more attempts than Florida.
So when Clayton Jr.'s shot dropped, it was easy to see the dejection on Auburn's bench. There wouldn’t be any revenge or a response to Florida’s months-long run of dominance that was sparked in Alabama. Instead, the Gators would be taking the next step into national prominence.
Only three years ago, Golden arrived at a program that struggled to advance anywhere further than the Round of 32. He preached the need to change a culture, and with the victory on Saturday night, that adjustment has been cemented.
Florida will now take on Duke or Houston in the National Championship on Monday, having extended its stay in San Antonio. The Gators are one game away from their first NCAA title in nearly 20 years.
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X @noahwhite1782.
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
