Inside the Stretch That Sent Florida to the Final Four

Florida outscored Texas Tech 18-4 over the final three minutes, advancing the Gators to its first Final Four since 2014.

Mar 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; The Florida Gators celebrate defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

SAN FRANCISCO-- All hope was quickly fading, and the Florida Gators’ Final Four chances on Saturday were at a near zero. However, Thomas Haugh and Walter Clayton Jr. had other plans for how this season would end. 

With 2:55 remaining in the contest, the Gators found themselves trailing by nine, but over these final minutes, they made sure the only outcome at the end of each possession was seeing the ball go through the basket. 

The pair of Haugh and Clayton Jr. combined to go a 4-for-4 from behind the arc to spark an 18-to-4 run to finish the game. 

“At the end of the day, great teams are as good as their players lead them,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said. “Walter has done a great job all year that way. And Tommy played his tail off for us across every game this season. And I'm really proud of these guys for the way they stepped up and made two big 3s each down the stretch.”

Basketball is a simple game. Sometimes you just need your best players to make the ball go through the net.

Five championship shots from Walter Clayton Jr. and Thomas Haugh. pic.twitter.com/X2Jz2Qfmnt

— Lucas Dolengowski (@LDolengowski) March 30, 2025

Haugh got things started on this run. He hit the first of the four all important triples with 2:50 remaining and set the score at 75-69. He followed that up with an even more impressive, contested 3-pointer on the next possession that cut the Texas Tech lead to just three points. 

“…I think multiple guys don't get enough recognition,” Clayton Jr. said “Tommy is definitely one of them. He comes in every day, puts his head down and works… I'm thankful for him and I love him and let's get two more, my boy.”

After Haugh hit these two jumpers, it was Clayton Jr.’s turn to carry the offensive load. Florida’s superstar was having a relatively poor game up to this point. While he might have had the points, scoring 22 points before this run, half of them came from the charity stripe with an 11-for-12 mark before the final three minutes. 

However, his shots were what separated the Gators from their opponents and they were up to standards of NBA-level shots. The first of the two three’s from him tied the game at 75 apiece.  

Clayton Jr.’s second one was even crazier and gave his team a 78-77 lead, their first lead since the 13:26 mark in the second half.  After driving into the paint, he quickly rerouted himself back to the top of the key and without hesitation unloaded a turnaround 3-pointer.  

“There's not another player in America you would rather have right now than Walter Clayton with the ball in his hands in a big-time moment,” Golden said. 

And by the final whistle, this jolt of offensive life from the pair ended in an 84-79 win for the Gators. 

These two weren’t the only ones to contribute at the end, though. They had help from Will Richard and Alijah Martin, who went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. 

Also, one of the bigger plays down the stretch was Rueben Chinyelu’s rebound with 11 seconds left. This rebound was huge because following the rebound, the ball eventually got to Clayton Jr., who was fouled and knocked down both free throws to put the game out reach at 82-77. 

Florida’s next outing on the hardwood will be next Saturday, April 5 against either Auburn or Michigan State, who are set to face off for the South Region Final on Sunday.