Written by Adrian Beecher
In a game that was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride inside the Alamodome, Florida rallied from a halftime deficit and withstood a late push to take down Auburn 79-73 in the national semifinal of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Here’s how it all went down in San Antonio, in the first game of the night.
Walter Clayton Jr. lit the floor on fire with a game-high 34 points, including 5-for-8 from deep and a perfect 7-of-7 from the line, delivering in every critical moment down the stretch as the Gators booked their trip to the title game.
From the opening tip, it was clear this one would be a battle. Auburn struck first with a smooth jumper from Johni Broome, and Florida answered just seconds later with a corner three from Clayton, off a feed from Alex Condon. That set the tone for a first half that featured 10 ties and 15 lead changes, with both teams trading momentum like prizefighters.
Auburn found a groove late in the first half, stringing together a 17-7 run that pushed them ahead 46-38 at the break. The Tigers shot 52% in the first half, compared to 44% for Florida, and dominated second-chance points and points in the paint.
But something flipped in the locker room for Florida.
The Gators came out of the break with purpose, opening the second half with back-to-back buckets from Rueben Chinyelu and Clayton. A three from Alijah Martin tied it at 49, and from there, the energy was all Orange and Blue.
Florida forced turnovers, crashed the glass, and got timely stops. Will Richard, despite an off shooting night, made key defensive plays with three steals. Chinyelu added nine boards and two steals in just 23 minutes of work, helping spark Florida’s 11-0 second-half run.
Still, Auburn wouldn’t go away.
Down 69-65 after another dagger three from Clayton, the Tigers got a response from Denver Jones with a deep triple of his own to bring it back within one. But Florida clamped down defensively, holding Auburn to just two field goals over the final four minutes.
With 33 seconds left, Thomas Haugh connected on a turnaround jumper from the elbow to give Florida its largest lead of the night at 76-68. Seconds later, Chad Baker-Mazara hit a three to make it 76-71, and things got tense again.
Then came a huge moment: Alex Condon fouled out with 18.5 seconds left, sending Auburn to the line. Tahaad Pettiford converted both to bring it to 77-73. But Walter Clayton Jr. iced it at the stripe, knocking down two free throws to make it 79-73 with nine seconds left, putting the game officially on ice.
Florida shot 50% in the second half and outscored Auburn 41-27 after halftime. They owned the glass 39-30 overall and held Auburn to just 33% shooting in the final 20 minutes.
Haugh added 12 points and seven rebounds, Martin chipped in 17, and Florida’s bench combined for 15 points in a total team effort.
The Gators now head to the title game looking to cut down the nets and bring another championship back to Gainesville, with their last coming back in 2007 when the Billy Donavan led Gators capped back-to-back titles.
Monday night will be a story of its own as they battle Houston for the right to be National Champions.
