Florida star Walter Clayton Jr. hypes up Gators fans following school's third national championship

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. believes UF will continue to win. The Gators beat Houston to win the school's third NCAA men's basketball national title on Monday.

The Gators returned to Gainesville for their victory parade at the school on Tuesday afternoon, with the fans turning up in strong numbers.

When asked about his message to the basketball world during the parade, Clayton replied:

“Florida back on top, man. And it’s finna continue.”

The hype got a big cheer from the fans.

Now that all the basketball is over, the Gators (36-4) will look to refresh themselves and prepare for next season's challenge. Florida will obviously lose some key members of its team, but it will look to recruit more talent and possibly repeat its feat in 2006 and 2007, when it won the NCAA Tournament back to back.

How Gators claimed a third NCAA Tournament

After appearing in the Final Four in 1994, 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2014, the Gators had to wait until this year before reaching that stage again.

On the way to the championship game, they beat Norfolk State, Connecticut, Maryland, Texas Tech and Auburn.

In the final against the Houston Cougars on Monday, Florida had to fight hard, as it was its lowest-scoring game in the NCAA Tournament.

Florida trailed by three points at halftime 31-28, the lowest scoring first half of an NCAA Tournament final since 2011. Walter Clayton Jr., who put up 34 points in the semifinal against Auburn, was scoreless in the first half.

Florida had a slow start to the second half and fell behind by 12 points. But it bounced back, with Clayton getting his first points of the game from the free-throw line. The Gators picked up from there on, outscoring the Cougars 31-21 in the final 15 minutes.

Clayton ended the game with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Houston star LJ Cryer had a game-high 19 points with six rebounds and two assists.