What Happened

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Gators’ dance through March Madness continued Sunday afternoon thanks to a frenetic finish against two-time reigning national champion UConn.

No. 1-seed Florida trailed for much of the second half before putting the Huskies away, 77-75, with an 8-0 run late in the second half.

With the score tied at 64 following a 3-pointer by UConn’s Solo Ball, Florida’s Alex Condon made a free throw to put the Gators back into the lead. Senior All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. followed with a pair of free throws, and then Clayton hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 70-64. Finally, after Condon missed a pair of free throws, Alijah Martin grabbed a miss off the second free throw and drove to the basket for an emphatic dunk and eight-point UF lead.

The Huskies kept it close down the stretch by fouling, but Florida escaped with its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2017.

For the second consecutive game in the NCAA Tournament, Clayton rose to the challenge. Clayton finished with a game-high 23 points, including 5 of 8 from 3-point distance, to lead Florida to its eighth consecutive win and snap a five-game losing streak to the Huskies.

Clayton gave the Gators their first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer with 2:54 left, and 24 seconds later Will Richard scored on a fastbreak to put Florida in front, 64-61. UConn tied the game on Ball’s long-range shot, but Florida answered with its decisive game-clinching run to send the Orange & Blue faithful at the Lenova Center into a frenzy behind UF’s bench.

Florida shot 23 of 50 (46%) overall, compared to UConn’s 38% shooting (24 of 64). The Gators held a distinct advantage in 3-point shooting, connecting on 9 of 19, while the Huskies made only 8 of 29 from beyond the arc.

Besides Clayton’s 23, Martin added 18 points and Richard contributed 15 after scoring only two points in the first half.

What it Means

The Gators advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and improved to 12-1 all-time as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is Florida’s 12th trip to the Sweet 16 in program history including the 1987 trip that was later vacated by the NCAA.

In the Spotlight

Rinse and repeat — Clayton Jr. UConn’s defensive strategy was to tighten the grip on Clayton and prevent him from launching deep. The strategy worked in the first half when Clayton had trouble finding space to shoot and made only 2 of 7 shots for eight points. But with Florida’s season on the line, Clayton was the difference-maker down the stretch, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes.
 

Staggering Statistic

The Gators committed eight turnovers in the first half but UConn failed to convert the miscues into a point. Florida led in points off turnovers, 5-0, with the scored tied 31-all at halftime. Meanwhile, in the end the Gators outscored UConn 10-4 in points off turnovers despite committed 12 miscues to the Huskies’ six.
 

Up Next

Florida (32-4) will face the winner between No. 4-seed Maryland (26-8) and No. 12-seed Colorado State (26-9) in the Sweet 16. The Maryland-Colorado State game tips off at 7:10 p.m. ET (TBS) in Seattle. Maryland advanced in the first round by defeating Grand Canyon, while Colorado State upset fifth-seed Memphis. The Gators are 2-2 all-time against Maryland, last facing the Terrapins in a 70-68 loss on Dec. 12, 2021. Florida and Colorado State have met once, a 68-46 UF loss in the 1989 NCAA Tournament.

Senior writer Scott Carter contributed to this report. Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu.