Walter Clayton Jr., Florida stun Johni Broome, Auburn in March Madness; head to NCAA tournament championship game

The Florida Gators, led by Walter Clayton Jr., are going all the way to this year's national tournament after their win on Saturday. As one half of the 2025 NCAA Final Four matchups went underway, the Gators burst on a second-half charge to defeat the Auburn Tigers, 79-73, booking their ticket to the winner-take-all game of this year's March Madness.

This was the first time that four No. 1 seeds were in the Final Four since 2008. Throughout the year, the Bruce Pearl-coached Tigers were being hailed as the first-ranked program in the nation. But the Gators toppled all of that noise.

Auburn managed to take home this year's conference regular season championship, but only made it to the semifinal, losing to the Tennessee Volunteers, 70-65. Meanwhile, the Todd Golden-coached Gators defeated the Volunteers in the SEC tournament final to secure the conference tourney title.

What transpired earlier on Saturday then was a clash between two powerhouse programs from the SEC. It was an intense back-and-forth affair throughout the game. But it was Auburn, led by Johni Broome, who led the first half by eight points, 45-38. Although they had a comfortable lead, the Gators eventually clawed their way back in the second half.

Despite several efforts from the Tigers' defense, they couldn't stop Florida right when the second half commenced, eventually leading to an 11-0 Gators run. Florida's charge was then spearheaded by Clayton Jr., as bucket after bucket from him continued to pad on the deficit for the Tigers. Through this, Florida defeated their conference rivals by a steady six-point edge, 79-73.

Clayton Jr. led all scorers on Saturday with another 30-point explosion with 34 markers on an efficient 11-of-18 clip, including five three-balls, four rebounds and two assists, while Broome closed out his collegiate career with 15 points, seven boards, two dimes, three steals and two blocks.

Florida Gators gunning for third national championship in program history

The last time that the Florida Gators won the national championship was their illustrious national title repeat from 2006 to 2007, led by the likes of NBA standouts in Al Horford and Joakim Noah.

This will be the first time that the Gators are in the finals game since, as they now hope to take home the program's third-ever national title.

With the Houston Cougars finishing off an awe-inspiring comeback against the Duke Blue Devils, 70-67, in the other NCAA Final Four matchup, this sets up a winner-take-all fixture against the Gators on Monday, April 7, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.