Florida 79 vs 73 Auburn summary, stats, scores and highlights | NCAA Final Four
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Clayton came through and produced big shot after big shot down the stretch. This bucket stretched the lead to five, and the Tigers would never recover. Clayton Jr. ended the night with 34 points to take the Gators back to the title game!
We have seen this before from Clayton before in this tournament. When they need him most, Walter Clayton Jr. comes through for his team.
This might be the play of the tournament. Alijah Martin took off and slam it on two Tiger defenders. He ended the ight with 17 points and 3 rebounds.
The defense turned up in the second half and that led to easy buckets on the other end for Martin and the Gators.
Clayton makes some of the toughest shots you'll ever see. He barely had any room to put this shot up on this shot from the corner. There were 15 lead changes in this semifinal that went down to the wire.
Alijah Martin had a couple of huge plays. He tied the game up with this three ball in the midst an 11-0 run to give the Gators the lead.
The Gators meant business coming out of halftime, and of course, it was Clayton who led the charge.
Broome had 12 and 4 points in the first half, and everything was revolving around him. That wasn't the case in the second half. Florida made some changes on the defensive end, and that contained Broome for the final 20 minutes.
The Tigers made a little run at the end of the first half, but they could never pull away from the Gators who play their best in the second half.
Clayton got going early for Florida but Auburn had an answer for everything he threw at them. Clayton carried his guys for the first half and never let up.
The Florida Gators are heading to the National Championship for the first time since 2007 after their narrow win over the Auburn Tigers. Walter Clayton had a huge night, scoring 34 points to lift the Gators to the title game on Monday.
Auburn came out swinging thanks to Johni Broome. The Tigers were dominant down low for the first 20 minutes.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
THE FLORIDA GATORS ARE GOING BACK TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007!!
Haugh to the line and he misses both FTs, but Chinyelu gets the rebound and Clayton gets fouled. He hits both FTs and this one is over.
Pittiford to the line after the foul on Condon. He hits both FTs.
Kelly with a tough three in the corner and he misses that. FLA rebound and Haugh to the FT line whre he makes one of two.
Martin gets tied up again, and a jump ball is going to give Auburn the ball back! 28 to go.
Bakar-Mazar with the three ball and that quick trigger triple falls with 31 seconds to go!
Timeout Florida!
Haugh gets the inbound pass down low, puts it up, gets the bucket and the foul!! FT is not good after the foul on Broome.
Baker-Mazara is called for a travel after starting his jump shot and trying to dribble it as the defender closed in.
Martin tied up at halfcourt and a jump ball will give the Tigers the ball.
Clayton got bumped and put it up as he was falling out of bounds. He banks it in, gets the foul and hits the FT after the foul on Jones!!
Gators ball after the review.
Out of bounds on Aubrun after the scramble for the missed FT, and the refs are going to go to replay with the clock at 1:59.
There was no foul on Cardwell so Broome goes to the line and misses both FTs.
Broome fouled on the dunk attempt, but there is a review for a potential flagrant on Cardwell who held Haugh.
Clayton blows past the defender and finger rolls it down the lane.
Condon misses the one and one out of the timeout.
Condon fouled by Johnson and he will have FTs after the TV timeout with 3:20 to go.
Extra pass ends up in the hands of Jones and he drops the three ball from the wing!
Clayton strings a three ball and in the big moment the Gators top scorer comes through with a huge bucket!
Baker-Mazara to the FT line after the foul on Haugh and he hits both FTs.
Chinyelu with the swipe and Martin takes it and throws it down on two Auburn defenders!!
Haugh to the cup and he lays it up and in off the glass from a narrow angle. That's the 15th lead change here in this semifinal.
TImeout FLA with 6:29 to go in the 2nd half.
Broome lobs it up for Cardwell for the big alley oop slam down low.
Haugh to the line after the foul on Cardwell and he hits both FTs.
Cardwell with the offensive board and that ends up with Baker-Mazara for the three ball on the wing!
We are heading to a TV timeout with 7:47 to go in the second half!!
Cardwell sends Chinyelu to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Cardwell to the line after the foul on Richard and he splits the pair.
Martin strips Pettiford and he takes it all the way for the steal and slam!
Aberdeen to the line after the foul on Johnson and he hits one of two FTs. It's all tied up with 10:00 to go.
Clayton to the FT line after the foul on Jones and he hits both FTs.
Down low from Jones to Cardwell and he smashes it home!
Clayton on the step back in the corner and some how drops that three!
Johnson gets the post feed and spins to the rack for the lay in.
Chinyelu was called for a foul on Jones and they take a look at it after an elbow came up.
It was upgraded to a flagrant one, so Jones get two FTs which he makes and the Tigers keep the ball.
Broome down low and he powers his way to the bucket for the hoop and the harm! FT is no good after the foul on Chinyelu.
Clayton off balance to the bucket and he lays it up with the left hand.
Pump fake, step back and three ball from Martin and it's tied up after a 9-0 run!
Clayton with the step back and he drops the three ball!!! 6-0 run for FLA.
Richard scoops up the offensive rebound and gets the put back with the foul! FT is good.
Broome to the line after the foul on Condon and he hits one of two FTs.
Cardwell with a steal and Baker-Mazara drops the floater on the baseline.
Chinyelu starts the half with a tough jump hook in the pain.
WE ARE BACK IN SAN ANTONIO FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
Broome has 12 and 4 so far but his presence has been even more impressive than those numbers. Auburn went up by double digits at one time, and they are up eight coming out of the halftime break.
It's not just Broome, he's getting help from his perimeter guys, but they are attacking the bucket and getting looks close to the rim.
Clayton needs some help on the offensive end. Everything is looking easy for the Tigers, but that hasn't been the case for Florida.
Broome isn't just cleaning up on the offensive end, he's been a force in the paint on the defensive end. He's got a couple of block so far tonight
Clayton came out to play for Florida. Not everyone on the floor in blue can say that, but he's got 14 in the first half.
There has been no answer for Broome so far for Florida. He's banging the boards, he's imposing his will and he has been dominant so far through the first half.
The Auburn Tigers came out and beat up the Gators in that first half. It started early with Cardwell but Broome was the one setting the tone, bad elbow and all.
WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME WITH THE TIGERS UP BY 8 WITH 20 MINUTES TO GO!
Richard fouled after the offensive rebound with under a second left and he hits one of two FTs with 1.6 on the clock. Timeout FLA.
Clayton to the rack and he skies over the defense for the quick lay up.
Broome working down low and he goes right up and over the defender.
Richard to the line after the foul on Baker-Mazara and he hits both FTs.
Kelly with the catch and shoot from the wing for three!
Haugh needed a three ball and he got it from the top of the key!
Broome down low again and he gets the reverse to fall after the spin in the post.
Clayton to the line after the foul on Baker-Mazara and he hits both FTs.
Broome fighting down low and he gets a tough lay in to fall.
Pettiford hits all three FTs after the timeout. Biggest lead for the Tigers tonight.
Pettiford fouled on the three ball so he will shoot three FTs after the TV timeout with 3:33 to go.
Clayton back to the cup and he some how puts it off the glass from a tight angle.
Timeout Auburn with 3:33 to go in the 1st half.
Jones down the lane with a spectacular scoop lay up and the foul! FT is no good after the foul on Handlogten.
Pettiford found a lane and split it on his way to the bucket for a lay up.
Clayton dashes to the rack and lays it up off the glass.
TV Timeout with 6:48 to go in the half.
Kelley is starting to heat up, he drills the three ball to put the Tigers up four!
Aberdeen off the dribble and he drills it from the baseline.
Kelley on the hesitation at the three point line and he turns on the jets for the lay up in transition.
Jones to the cup and he lays it up and in to give Auburn the lead.
Kelly sends Richard to the line on a three point shot with the clock winding down, and he makes two of three FTs.
Martin to the cup and he lays it up and in with the foul on Pettiford! FT is good.
Johnson got fouled by Condon before the timeout and he hits both FTs.
We are heading to the second TV timeout with 11:33 to go in the first half here from San Antonio
Johnson answers back with a mid range jumper from the elbow.
Tough drive from Haugh and he banks it in off the crystal.
Cardwell with the slam off the Pettiford pick and roll!
Martin to the line after the foul on Cardwell and he hits both FTs.
TV timeout with 14:31 to go in the first half and it's been back and forth so far.
Johnson pulls down the offensive board, and Baker-Mazara drops another three ball! It's raining threes in San Antonio!!!
Martin strings the three ball, ad the Gators are 3/3 from downtown to start the game!
Baker-Mazara answers back with a three ball off the feed from Pettiford!
Clayton with his second three ball of the game, this time he pulls up from the wing!
Broome to the line after the foul by Chinyelu, and he hits both FTs.
Chinyelu backs down Broome and he turns and finishes at the rack.
Baker-Mazar right to the rack and he lays it up and in off th glass.
Martin on the fade away from just inside the arc and that goes.
Kelly misses the three ball but there is Broome with the tip in down low.
Condon to the FT line after the foul on Jones and he hits one of two FTs.
Cardwell skies over the defense and throws it down off the lob from Baker-Mazara
Clayton pulls up from the top of the key and he strings it to get his night started off on the right foot.
Broome backs down his defender and hits the turn around from outside the lane
SEMIFINAL NUMBER 1 IS UNDERWAY FROM SAN ANTONIO!!!
Tourney history: Auburn
The Auburn Tigers are back in the Final Four for just the second time in school history. Charles Barkley put them on the map back in the 80s but after that they made the tournament just three times until Bruce Pearl came to town and brought the Tigers back to the national scene. They have been to the tourney six times since 2018, and this is their second trip to the Final Four. They made it back in 2019, but were knocked out by Virginia in a one point loss to the eventual champions.
Tourney history: Florida
The Florida Gators are just two games away from bringing back title glory to Gainesville. This is their first Final Four since 2014, but Todd Golden has revived this program who had a two year reign two decades ago, winning back to back titles in 2006 and 2007. Here they are back in the Final Four, their sixth overall in school history. If they win tonight Florida will be back in the title game for the third time ever.
Star watch: Auburn
We saw a Willis Reed type moment last weekend in Auburn’s win over Michigan State. Johni Brown, who leads the Tigers in scoring, was already playing through a sore elbow before taking an awkward fall in the second half and telling the bench that he was done. After a few minutes in the locker room he checked back in, hit a three and led his team to victory quite literally short handed. He is averaging 18.7 ppg and 10.9 rebounds this season. The fifth year senior is getting 17.3 and 13.3 rebounds a game, and the deeper into the tournament we go, the better he seems to get. Let’s see how that elbow holds up against a physical Florida team.
Star watch: Florida
If you are looking for a star to watch tonight on the Florida Gators, look no further than Walter Clayton Jr. The Senior who started his career in Iona has been with the Gators for the last two seasons and is having his best year in his last year in college. He had to will his team to victory against Texas Tech, and Florida will be leading on their leading scorer tonight against Auburn. He is getting 18.1 ppg, and bumped that up to 22.3 in the four NCAA Tournament games.
How they got here: Florida
The Gators weren’t on the national radar coming into the season. Todd Golden’s side were the 21st ranked team starting the campaign. They started the season 13-0 but lost the the first ranked team they met in Kentucky. Florida rebounded by thumping top ranked Tennessee in the next game. They would play Tennessee two more times, once in Tennessee which they lost and once in the SEC Tournament Championship. They beat the Vols to win the conference title to finish the season on a six game win streak, beating five ranked teams in that time. The Gators were named a one seed and eased past Norfolk State, but barley squeaked by defending champs UCONN. Then they knocked out Maryland in a comfortable Sweet 16 match up before having to make a comeback on Texas Tech.
How they got here: Auburn
Bruce Pearl’s Tigers came into the season right out side the Top 10 in the preseason polls, but it wouldn’t be long before they climbed into the conversation for top team in the nation. They won their first seven games before losing to the 9th ranked Duke Blue Devils. They would win their next 14 games but went up against another Final Four team in Florida which snapped their winning streak in Auburn. IT was a rough end to the regular season for the Tigers who lost their final two games to Texas A&M and Alabama before getting knocked out of the SEC Tournament by Tennessee. Despite the loss, they got the one seed, and rolled past Alabama State, and Creighton in the opening weekend. Then they had a double whammy of Michigan opponents. They had a comfortable win over the Michigan Wolverines, but MIchigan State gave them all they could handle.
Last game: Florida
Florida had the toughest time of any of the one seeds last weekend. They took on a Texas Tech team that gave them all they could handle. The Gators were down 10 points with five and a half minutes to go, but Walter Clayton Jr. put the team on his back. He scored 11 of his 30 points in the last five minutes and the Gators ended the game on a 23-8 run and advanced to the Final four for the first time in over a decade.
Last game: Auburn
The Tigers got to the Elite Eight after rolling through the first three rounds of the tournament, but Michigan State gave them their toughest test. Their best player, Johni Broome, suffered an elbow injury which prevented him from lifting up his right arm for much of the game, but he gutted it out and led his team to the win. He put up 25 points and 14 rebounds and had some huge plays on the defensive end to hold off the Michigan State and get Auburn back to the Final Four for third time ever.
We are live from San Antonio
Hello everyone and welcome to the Alamodome where the first national semifinal is about an hour away from tip off. The Florida Gators have had a rough road to the Final Four that included knocking off the two time defending champions and needing a come back in the Elite Eight just to get here. Here they are, and the Gators are set to take on a familiar foe in Auburn. The Tigers are aiming to make school history with a first national title but they are going to have to get past a team that already beat them earlier this year. Auburn get their chance at revenge tonight with a trip to the National Championship on the line.
Auburn vs. Florida
It’s Final Four Saturday from San Antonio, and what a weekend that awaits us as the four best teams in the tournament have rolled through the bracket and will go toe-to-toe in two heavyweights matchups from the Alamo Dome. First up we have an all SEC matchup between one team looking for their first National Championship, and another hoping to bring title glory back to Gainsville. It’s the Auburn Tigers taking on the Florida Gators and AS English will be with you all night for both semifinal games.