Survive and advance.
It’s the motto for March Madness and sometimes the statement is more true than others, and today it’s exactly what the Florida Gators felt as they withstood punch after punch from the UConn Huskies on their way to an emotional 77-75 win in the Round Of 32. With the victory, Florida advances to the Sweet Sixteen and a second weekend–a huge step in their hunt for a Final Four and National Championship.
From the opening tip it was a measured start from both teams. Florida got the early 6-0 lead, and held on to stay up 15-10 midway through the first quarter. From there, UConn was able to slow the game down and trade barbs back and forth with the Gators, hitting a three nearly at the buzzer to make it 31-31 at the half.
In the second frame, it looked like the game was going in favor of the Huskies. Using their patented complexity in the halfcourt, UConn had the Gators scrambling which resulted in missed defensive assignments or blockouts which turned into points, and the Huskies took a two-possession lead. UConn ultimately was leading from the 19:17 mark of the second half all the way until the 5:00 minute mark, then the 4:00 mark, and that 3:00 minute mark–and it looked like whatever the Gators did it wasn’t going to be enough to claw back the lead. However, they stayed in touch, and ultimately Walter Clayton did his Walter Clayton thing and hit a gigantic three-pointer to put the team up 62-61.
That wasn’t the end of Walter Clayton’s magic.
After UConn came back with a three Clayton drew a foul with 1:45 remaining, hitting both free throws to give the Gators a three-point lead. Liam McKneeley missed a shot for the Huskies, and Will Richard came down with the rebound. On the other end Clayton took the ball, stared down his defender, and stepped back into one of his patented off the dribble threes, finding the bottom of the net and giving the Gators a 70-64 lead with just 1:07 remaining. It wasn’t exactly a dagger as the Huskies had their chances to come back, but it was functionally the moment where the Gators took a death grip on the game. It turned into a foul shooting contest to close things out, but the Gators held on for the win.
Clayton finished the game with 23 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point land, showing his elite skill at making shots off the dribble that makes him such a lethal player–especially in postseason play. With that being said–it wasn’t all roses for Clayton. He struggled to find his game in the first half and had a number of devastating turnovers. There were 5 in total, many of which turned into points on the other end for UConn. There was a stretch where people were wondering where the All-American Clayton had gone–but he showed up in the clutch to deliver his team to victory.
It wasn’t just Clayton who struggled earlier in the game, with Florida’s frontcourt uncharacteristically getting beat on the glass and struggling to finish on the inside. UConn, a team that wants to play slow and methodically, was successful in grinding this game to a near halt, taking the Gators out of transition and making it a half court game where teams traded set plays. That style greatly benefits UConn over Florida, and it was a big reason why the Huskies controlled much of the second half. UConn was able to generate a lot of clean looks but went a pitiful 8-29 from three–and if you were to look back on the shots they missed, many of which were wide open and if they could have had these chances again this game could have ended much differently. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case–and this is what March and the game of basketball is all about.
In addition to Walter Clayton’s minutes down the stretch, much of Florida’s credit needs to go to Alijah Martin, a March warrior who has boatloads of experience due to his time with Florida Atlantic. In the first half it was a slow start for just about everyone on Florida’s roster except for Martin who looked confident going to the rim and comfortable taking big shots, a functional way his leadership was on display. He finished the game with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists with much of that work coming in the first half–and if he didn’t come to play, the Gators likely would have been in a bigger hole in the early second half.
Was this pretty for the Gators? Absolutely not. They had 12 turnovers as a team, most of which were passes thrown directly into the hands of UConn’s defenders, and outside of Walter Clayton isolations they struggled to create any good looks in the halfcourt. They shot 65% from the free throw line, and allowed a lot of wide open looks to a UConn offense that often makes those attempts. However, the game of basketball is such that it’s often about keeping the score close and then allowing stars to take over at the end, and that’s exactly what the Gators did.
Florida will now advance to the Sweet Sixteen to take on the winner of Maryland and Colorado State, a game taking place at 7:10 ET on Sunday. Maryland is considered the heavy favorite.