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Florida Outlasts Auburn in Final Four Thriller to Punch Ticket to Championship Game

The Gators will play for the national title Monday night.

Blake Silverman

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. dribbles the ball against Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. dribbles the ball against Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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The Florida Gators are off the NCAA tournament title game after a 79-73 win over the Auburn Tigers in the Final Four's first semifinal game.

Auburn took a 46-38 lead into the half before the Gators went on a 9-0 early second-half run to tie the game at 49. The rest of the second half went back and forth between the two SEC heavyweights until Florida took control in the final minutes.

Walter Clayton Jr. led the way with an incredible game for the Gators. He had 34 points on an efficient 11-for-18 from the field and 5-for-8 from three-point range. He put on a complete shot-making display down in San Antonio.

Clayton became the first player with back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinals since Larry Bird in 1979, according to ESPN. And he made a big and-one bucket which put the Gators up six points with just 1:33 remaining. Florida never looked back:

Florida's Alijah Martin, who had 17 points on the night, had a couple of the best dunks you'll ever see. One came off a steal where he jumped from just inside the free-throw line and finished the slam:

Then, just a few minutes later, he postered two Tigers in transition and CBS broadcaster Bill Raftery went nuts:

Auburn big man Johni Broome had 15 points on 6-for-14 from the field, along with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The first-team All-American was a force near the rim on both ends of the floor.

Chad Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with 18 points and four three-pointers.

Florida now awaits the winner of Houston and Duke, which tips Saturday night at approximately 8:49 p.m. ET. The national championship game tips off Monday night at 8:50 p.m. ET, also at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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