In San Antonio, Gators men’s basketball is gearing up to take on the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night. But back at home in Gainesville, Florida fans will have their eyes glued to the TV, whether that screen is at a bar, home or on campus.
The Gators returned to the Final Four for the first time since 2014 after a nail-biting Elite Eight performance against Texas Tech. If Florida advances Saturday evening, it will be the first National Championship the team has made since 2007.
The game tips off at 6:09 p.m. EST. Check back here for updates before, during and after tip-off.
Live updates:
Downtown 9:38 p.m.
Hannah Kirby, a 20-year-old UF physiology and kinesiology sophomore, said she was “so hyped” for the Gators’ win. She walked around How Bazar’s “Bazar À la carte” pop-up festival.
Kirby and her friends “expected” the Gators to win and spent the night in Loosey’s Downtown, she said.
Saturday night’s win feels “more intense” than previous games Kirby’s watched, she said.
“I feel like we’re the type of school that has faith in our school, even when we’re doing poorly,” she said. “So now that we’re doing good, we really have faith in our team.”
Kirby said Gainesville is “not ready” for what might happen if the Gators win it all, calling it “crazy.”
— Sara-James Ranta
Downtown 9:32 p.m.
Large groups of people gathered in downtown Gainesville. Spreads of orange and blue colored the area.
Aaron Chen, a 23-year-old UF pharmacy graduate student, felt “energetic” about the Gators’ win, he said.
During the final buzzer, he was with friends at their house, and the tension was high, he said.
“It was insane,” he said. “My friend was gripping his lucky football for his life.”
Although he doesn’t know where he’ll be for Monday’s game just yet, he hopes to be at The Swamp, he said.
Chen said he believes Gainesville will experience “riots in the streets” if they win it all.
— Sara-James Ranta
Midtown 9:28 p.m.
Chaos and celebrations are continuing in the heart of UF at Midtown.
Florida sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway drove his car through the Midtown parking lot, opening his window to chomp and celebrate with fans.
One such Gator fan is 19-year-old computer science major Leon Calef. He was just arriving at Midtown when he spotted Lagway through his window.
"Dude, this is just so freaking electric," Calef said. "This is what college sports are all about.”
Other fans continued chomping at the cars that drove by on University Avenue, getting constant honks in return.
The rest of the night appears young for these fans, and they'll do it all again Monday.
"I'm in heaven," Calef said. "One of the best moments of my life.“
— Max Bernstein
Midtown 9:09 p.m.
As for who Gators fans want to see on the opposite end of the court Monday night, opinions are mixed between Duke and Houston.
Soor Hansalia, a 20-year-old UF computer science major, said despite Duke being the most dangerous team, he wants the Blue Devils to be the team Florida faces.
"If we beat Duke, there would be no doubt on who's the best team in the country," Hansalia said.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old UF business major Dylan Crow did not hesitate for a single second when he asked which team he'd rather face.
"Houston, simple... that's an easier game," Crow said.
Adam Cohen, a 19-year-old UF finance major, said he really doesn't care who the Gators will play as he thinks they'll win no matter what.
"It's our year," Cohen said. "No doubt in my mind.”
Gator fans are just excited to see their team playing for the ultimate prize.
— Max Bernstein
San Antonio 9:00 p.m.
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, 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 senior guard Alijah Martin, a senior guard and, more notably, Florida’s second-leading scorer.
It turns out that mattered more.
While senior guard Walter Clayton Jr.’s 34-point performance led the way, Martin’s 17 were the difference as Florida swept Auburn with a 79-73 victory on Saturday. The pair of offensive stars 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.
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 unequivocally are 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 a day late. 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, a roar erupted from San Antonio to Gainesville. Florida never trailed again.
– Noah White
Midtown, 8:50 p.m.
Just moments following Florida's 79-73 victory, Gainesville residents flooded Midtown to celebrate the win, while those who have spent their entire Saturday out watching the game continued their day-long festivities.
It was a game filled with stress, especially for 21-year-old business major Carter Reese, who arrived at MacDinton’s at 1 p.m. Despite the Gators trailing by eight points at halftime, Reese had faith, citing that UF has been a "second half team all year."
"It's just how we play," Reese said. "We just turn it up a notch in that last 20 minutes."
The moment he felt the tides began to turn was the Gators 9-0 run early on in the second half. Then, when sophomore forward Thomas Haugh converted on a massive and-one with just under a minute remaining, Reese was confident UF would clinch the victory.
"That just felt like the dagger," Reese said. "Just a huge play by Tommy."
While speaking, Reese kept his eyes on the screen, getting ready for the other Final Four matchup between Houston and Duke that starts at 9:09 p.m. Reese said he's pulling for Houston to win, feeling it would be an easier matchup for the Gators.
With Florida now only one game away from claiming its third national championship, the party continues in Gainesville.
– Max Bernstein
The Swamp, 8:44 p.m.
Seconds after the Gators trounced Auburn and secured their spot in the championship, Emily Nelson was left almost speechless.
“Holy f*ck!” she said, apologizing before adding, “Holy sh*t!”
As a fourth-generation Gator, the 22-year-old UF marketing senior grew up watching the 2006 and 2009 Gators basketball teams.
“My dream was [for the Gators] to be good at something like making a national championship while being a student,” Nelson said. “This is my last chance.”
She got in line at the Swamp at 7 a.m. but couldn’t get in, instead choosing to sit on a lawn chair on the grass outside to watch the game. Her heart was racing all day, and seeing the Gators win meant everything.
Nelson smiled wide as beer rained down from celebrating students at the Swamp’s tables.
“Go Gators!” she yelled.
– Pristine Thai
Gainesville, 8:35 p.m.
The Gators take the win over Auburn 79-73. UF will advance to the National Championship for the first time since 2007.
The Swamp, 8:23 p.m.
Valeria Rosales doesn’t follow sports very closely. But with the crowds gathering around town, the 21-year-old Santa Fe biology junior couldn’t just keep watching the game at home.
Along with her friend, Rosales came to the Swamp because she “wanted to be there with everyone while we took this win,” confident in the Gators’ basketball team. Both of them were still wearing their pajamas as they stood in the grass, excitedly following the score on the Swamp’s screens.
Rosales doesn’t plan to go out afterward to celebrate but going to a watch party has inspired her to attend more in the future — especially when Gators play for the championship Monday night.
- Pristine Thai
The Swamp, 7:30 p.m.
“Bragging rights for the next 10 years” are on the line for Shannon Meloy, a 22-year-old UF psychology senior whose family is from Auburn. A Gator win would help justify her decision to attend UF instead of Auburn.
“My grandparents and my parents are texting me this entire game, like ‘Oh my god, Auburn’s winning,’ and I’m like, no,” she said.
Meloy said she and her boyfriend tried to go to midtown, but the lines were hours long, so they came to the Swamp to watch the second half of the game.
Meloy was proud to see her fellow students show up en masse to support the basketball team, especially knowing some lined up before sunrise to get in.
“The community around this is incredible,” she said. “I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
- Pristine Thai
The Swamp, 7:22 p.m.
Michael Affronti, a 21-year-old UF business administration junior, said the atmosphere at the Swamp was “electric.” He said he started a “Walter Clayton Jr.” chant from the second floor of the restaurant, supporting the Gators’ senior guard.
As a Pi Kappa Phi brother, Affronti got into the crowded venue after arriving at 11 a.m. and skipping the line thanks to his fraternity’s “Mom’s Weekend.” He said the crowd was “a little on edge” as Gators trailed Auburn by 9 points, but “everyone’s been very energetic for the Gators.”
A brawl almost broke out, Affronti said, but the day has been “pretty tame.” He’s considering going to midtown to celebrate if the Gators win but is content to live in the moment for now.
“Let’s get there first,” he said.
- Pristine Thai
The Swamp, 7:10 p.m.
Jack DeGray, a 22-year-old UF business senior, wore a fuzzy gators onesie and broken visor sunglasses.
He showed up to The Swamp as the game started, and was easily able to get in, he said.
If the Gators win, he said he’ll try to crowd surf.
“If no one lifts me up when I jump, that’s fine,” he said. “I will be happy face-planting. That’s how much it’ll mean to me.”
- Sara-James Ranta
The Alamodome, 7:16 p.m.
San Antonio — Entering Saturday night, both Auburn and Florida sported highly efficient offensive products, and in the opening minutes, that was noticeable.
After Johni Broome, a senior Auburn center, knocked down a jumper on the contest's first possession, UF senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. took the ball down the court. In a display similar to that of the final minutes against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, the AP All-American player rose immediately. With his shot, the Florida student section exploded with hands, hats and even a shirt flying in the air of the Alamodome’s north end zone.
From there the offensive juggernauts continued to trade baskets 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 with both teams shooting efficiently, that deficit was the product of poor ball control and distribution. In multiple instances, Florida traveled down the court but failed to capitalize, which has been an infrequent sight for one of the nation’s most efficient second-opportunity teams. Auburn rarely struggled to respond.
That was most noticeable in the final moments of the half when UF got three attempts in a single possession that concluded with a Broome block on Florida sophomore forward Alex Condon. Seconds later, Miles Kelly, an Auburn junior guard, knocked down a 3 that pushed the Tigers’ lead to nine as part of an 11-4 run.
When the ball dropped through the hoop, a silhouette of a collapsed Clayton Jr. laid on the ground in front of Kelly. His 14 points were all that had kept Florida in the game to that point, but with each moment, Auburn continued to separate.
- Noah White
MacDinton’s Gainesville, 7:10 p.m.
It’s been a back-and-forth first half between the Gators and Tigers in San Antonio. Auburn leads Florida 46-38 after 20 minutes, and Gators fans are not the happiest. Florida fans have been out in full force in Gainesville throughout the day, especially MacDinton’s.
Senior Jason Sanzare has been at the sports bar since 1 p.m., securing his seat to watch Florida in its first Final Four since 2014.
“I feel a little underwhelmed," Sanzare said. “Offensive inefficiency has been the issue for the Gators.”
Florida shot 44% from the field in the first half, including 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. However, the turnover have been an issue, as the Gators turned the ball over five times.
Despite Florida’s halftime deficit, Sanzare said the emotions and attitudes of Gators’ fans have not wavered.
“The vibes at the bar seem pretty high,” he said. “The vibes of Gainesville and the vibes of MacDinton’s have been great.”
Having to come from behind has not been a rarity for Florida so far this tournament.
— Hugh Green
The Swamp, 6:56 p.m.
Isabella Hughes, a 21-year-old UF business junior, said she’s gone out for every basketball game.
She camped outside Swamp at 8:30 a.m., and said there were “over 300 people” there already, where the line was around the corner.
“Enjoy this,” she said. “I’m gonna remember this forever. No matter what happens, win or lose, this is a memory we’re all going to go home with.”
- Sara-James Ranta
Downtown, 6:30 p.m.
As the sun begins to set, community members head downtown for sports bars and How Bazar’s “Bazar À la carte” pop-up festival.
Jasmine Moore, a 23-year-old Gainesville resident, two-time Olympic bronze medalist and former UF alumna, was waiting for a table outside Original American Kitchen restaurant.
Moore, who was there with her family, said tonight felt “hype.”
“Everyone’s been leading up to this, it’s really exciting,” she said.
As a former UF track and field athlete, Moore said a Gator win would be good for the athletic department, as it brings more money to other non-revenue sports.
– Sara-James Ranta
Downtown, 6 p.m.
Penny Richards, a 22-year-old UF chemical engineering senior, stood at the corner of Main Street and Southwest First Avenue. Richards, along with her three other friends, were dressed in orange and blue.
Her group made their “preliminary” plans at the start of the week, knowing they’d go to Main Street Bar & Billiards. It’s her “go to” place, she said.
“I have a legal ID, and I've been here for four years, enough to know that Mid is going to suck and Swamp is going to suck,” she said.
She said she hopes the Gators “crush that.”
– Sara-James Ranta
Midtown, 6 p.m.
Morris Freidman, a 26-year-old Gainesville native, was excited to see Gainesville revive its winning spirit.
“I feel so happy to finally see the students and everyone around here excited about sports again,” Freidman said.
- Michael Angee
Midtown, 5:56 p.m.
On University Avenue and NW 17th Street, students waited in lines for various bars and restaurants.
Miguel Morban, a 2023 graduate with a master’s of science in structural engineering and Gainesville native, recalled the last time students were celebrating a big Gators win.
“I went to school and I saw Tim Tebow on the f*cking milk cartons,” Morban said. “We were winning back-to-back championships. Bring back the glory days.”
- Michael Angee
Midtown, 5:53 p.m.
As Gator basketball fans waited, employees at different establishments across Midtown helped mitigate the chaos of game day.
“It was a lot more busy than our owners expect,” Liam Ferguson, an 18-year-old UF aerospace engineering freshman said.
Ferguson was grabbing lunch from his workplace, Cantina Anejo, when he knew he’d have to come in earlier than expected. He began working in the afternoon when he was supposed to clock in at 9 p.m.
“I got a text saying ‘Yo, we f*cked up, show up right now,” Ferguson said.
- Michael Angee
Midtown, 5:50 p.m.
Prior to the game, the line for Cantina Anejo stretched from University Avenue to First Avenue.
“I think everyone’s pretty confident we’re going to win,” 23-year-old senior Sofia Ramao said. “Everyone’s excited. Everyone feels the spirit.”
- Michael Angee
Midtown, 5:38
President of social media at Barstool Auburn, Auburn senior Wes Smarp, traveled to Gainesville for the Final Four matchup.
“Your guys’ Barstool [account] is as weak as your basketball,” Smarp said. “I heard Gator tastes good.”
- Michael Angee
Midtown, 5:23 p.m.
During their drive back home to Tampa from Pensacola, Jameson Hightshoe and his wife Maria took a pitstop to grab some Raising Canes. They were surprised by how busy the streets were.
“Our reaction was like ‘What’s going on?’” Hightshoe said.
Seeing the excitement in the area, the couple said they felt inclined to watch the game and root for the Gators for the rest of the tournament.
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 5:11 p.m.
Zachery Harmon, a 22-year-old senior accounting student at UF, said that he was nervous for today’s matchup.
“I’m sh*ting my pants. It’s terrifying,” Harmon said.
Harmon emphasized the importance of Florida’s sophomore forward/center Alex Condon and how he “cannot get beat by Johni Broome. If he [Broome] takes over, then we’re done.”
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 5:01 p.m.
Keith Heinerichs, whose son is a freshman at UF, was in town for the game for his daughter, who plays for the San Diego State lacrosse team that competed against Florida today.
He said the long lines and large number of people in the area for the game reminded him of what New Year's Day is like at home in Philadelphia or an Eagles playoff game.
Heinerichs said if Florida wins today, they have a good chance of beating either Duke or Houston in the final.
“I think they can score more than Houston, but if they played Duke, I still think their [Florida’s] backcourt is better than Duke’s.”
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 4:57 p.m.
Tiffany Yu, a 20-year-old UF business administration student, mentioned how exciting it was to be on campus during the team’s tournament run.
“It’s electric. You know, it’s like infectious everything that’s going on,” Yu said. “I think that it’s super awesome that we got to the Final Four.”
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 4:51 p.m.
Twenty-year-old sophomore mechanical engineering student Colin Smith said Florida needs to keep an eye on Auburn’s senior forward/center Joni Brome and freshman guard Tahaad Petiford.
Smith also mentioned the Gators need to do a better job of keeping possession of the ball. Florida turned the ball over 29 times in their last two games.
“That’s what bugs me about our team,” Smith said.
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 4:44 p.m.
A 2023 UF graduate and former Rowdy Reptile Jordyn Messick said her “inner Rowdy Reptile is very pumped and excited” for today’s game.
Messick said if the Gators win today, she will try to make the trip to San Antonio to catch the final on Monday.
“I definitely want to go,” the Gator graduate said.
She also mentioned that her favorite player on the team is senior guard Will Richard because of his connection to God.
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 4:37 p.m.
Matt Seyous is confident of Florida’s ability to dominate in the does game as he predicts, "We’re beating Auburn by 20 points {and} Johni Broome is scoring five points.”
The freshman said the key to taking down the Tigers today will be keeping senior forward Broome quiet and hitting shots from beyond the arc.
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 4:28 p.m.
Despite not attending a basketball game in her four years at UF, Radhika Subramanian said she’s excited to watch today’s game with her friends. The 22-year-old economics and psychology senior paid $40 to get into MacDinton’s, a rooftop bar in Midtown Gainesville.
“In my mind, it's cheaper than flying to Texas to watch the game, so I’m saving money this way, actually,” Subramanian said.
The senior predicts the Gators will secure a double-digit victory over the Tigers.
- Jeffrey Serber
Midtown, 4:26 p.m.
UF mechanical engineering senior Foster Kish said that for the Gators to take down the Tigers, Todd Golden’s team will need strong performances from his frontcourt.
“We got to control the glass and stop Johni Broome from getting rebounds,” Kish said.
The senior said that if the Gators were to win today, he would try to get out of his exam and make the trip to San Antonio for the final on Monday.
- Jeffrey Serber
The Swamp Restaurant, 2 p.m.
Despite arriving at 7:45 a.m., nearly five hours before the watch party doors opened at Swamp, UF public health sophomore Zorielle Bursac and her friends were unable to secure a seat in the restaurant, and sat in folding chairs outside the dining room instead. Yet four hours before the game, there were still big smiles on their faces because of what was ahead.
“We were at a woodser last night with a campus organization until 4:30 am, but we wanted to be here by 7:30,” Bursac said. “We tried to take naps, but it was so hot. They were super quick and we never got a deep sleep.”
She said the group was all tired, but they kept each other entertained by talking about the game.
“Last weekend we went to MacDinton’s, but cover was $40,” she said. “This weekend, we wanted to do Swamp because we couldn’t pay that again.”
Bursac said she sees Florida going all the way. Her prediction for tonight’s other Final Four victory sets Florida up against the Duke Blue Devils.
“This whole season UF’s basketball has been developed so well,” Bursac said. “Honest to God I think they can take Duke in the championship. I don’t know if they developed their shooting skills more, but there’s just more chemistry this year.”
One student who was able to snag a table on the upper level of Swamp was Harlan Nikolov. The UF business senior could be found with four of his friends and his girlfriend playing countless games of cards.
He arrived at the lines at 6:30 a.m., but the line had formed long before he got his spot. There were people camping since 1 a.m. that morning, Nikolov said.
“I thought my girlfriend was crazy for telling me that we should get here that early,” he said. “But there were still at least 20 people ahead of us. Right before they started letting people in, like 100 people showed up and were trying to like rush the front.”
On the ground floor, many parents roamed the restaurant alongside large crowds of college students.
One mother, Rebecca Fisher, said the Florida spirit isn’t new to her despite living in New Jersey. Her husband, David, attended UF decades ago, and Rebecca said he is now “living vicariously” through their eldest son, Aidan.
“You don’t understand how deep this runs for us,” she said. “The groom’s cake at our wedding was a gator head, and the groomsmen carried it out while singing ‘We are the Boys From Old Florida.’”
Fisher said she was proud to see her son’s freshman year at UF going well.
“From a 40- or 50-year-old perspective, this is the time to do this kind of thing [waiting at Swamp],” she said. “We all hope and pray that the Gators win, but no matter what these kids will have these once in a lifetime memories.”
One of Fisher’s friends at the table, Lori Pulver, asked her friend if she would rather face Duke or Houston in the championship. Fisher refused to reply. The rest of the restaurant shared the sentiment, refusing to discuss what could happen next.
“One game at a time,” Fisher said. “That’s how we win.”
– Brooke Bastedo
The Swamp Restaurant, 1:45 p.m.
At sunrise on Saturday, Gator fans were already cramming the sidewalk outside of The Swamp Restaurant — some had been camping since 5 a.m. By midmorning, over 100 fans were waiting in line to snag a table for the Final Four game, offered on a first come, first serve basis.
But for the right price, eager fans could skip the line. Lawn tables for up to eight people with bottle service at The Swamp were available for $1,500, according to the restaurant.
The midtown staple MacDinton’s also offered reserved tables for game night. A basketball fan could pay $700 for a four-top, $1,400 for eight to 10 people, or a whopping $2,600 for a table for 20, according to the bar. Tickets to enter the bar without a table, priced at $50, sold out days ahead of time.
At the sports bar Mom’s OG, Gator fans could also reserve a table for up to six people for $800. Yet according to the bar, no one reserved a table, so fans were all allowed in for free Saturday afternoon.
– Kylie Williams and Vivienne Serret
Gainesville, 12:30 p.m.
In preparation for rowdy fans, there will be the normal “extra patrols” around popular areas, including a “DUI detail,” Gainesville Police Department Lt. Lisa Scott said. However, GPD’s main focus is preparing for Monday if the Gators win.
During the Gators’ victory in the 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game, GPD Lt. Corey Dahlem was struck and killed by a drunk driver while working traffic control.
“We never want to experience anything like that again, and it's very triggering for some of our officers,” she said.
GPD collaborates with city and county emergency management, as well as the UF Police Department, to coordinate response plans including road safety, she said.
When community members have access to rideshare apps, public transportation and SNAP rides, Scott said she encourages Gator fans to “think twice” before driving.
“We know emotions are with it, and we get that,” she said. “Everyone please be safe, it’s so not worth it. Some silly decision could have lasting impacts.”
– Sara-James Ranta
