The Tigers have been tamed. And steamrolling them, the Florida Gators danced ahead to their first championship game since 2007. The star of the show? Walter Clayton Jr. The Auburn Tigers knew that he was capable of that kind of rampage. “He’s such a unique player, because most of the time, you think it’s a bad shot, and it’s a good shot with him, because he can make it if he can just see the rim,” Auburn associate head coach Steven Pearl said Friday. And why not? Clayton had already put up a similar show against Texas Tech in the Elite 8 matchup. With just 3 minutes left in the game, he helped erase a 9-point deficit. He nailed two clutch 3s in the final two minutes- the first to tie it up, the second to take the lead just 30 seconds later. So Auburn’s head coach, Bruce Pearl, had a clear plan to contain Clayton.

“Our guys really got to be locked in, got to stay in a stance for 40 minutes, can’t get hit on screens, got to communicate our actions, and we’ve just got to make his life a little more difficult,” Bruce had said. They watched his film for hours. And it looked to be working to an extent. Clayton was not left wide open. But as it happens with great players, you can only contain them for so long. In the end, they always find a way to hoop! Despite the worthy challenge from the Auburn defenders, he kept draining his shots.

“We will go back and watch the film and you’re going to see three or four, just highly contested, high-degree-of-difficulty shots, but that’s why he is one of the best players in college basketball because he’s able to do those things,” Steven said after the game. Indeed. Riding on Clayton’s performance, the Gators erased an eight-point lead that Auburn had in the first half. And Clayton did it all to ensure that.

He drained an almost impossible layup in the second half, made a 3 to cut the lead, and finished a 3-point play following a foul in the closing minutes. Florida’s dreams had pretty much ended. With that, the replay of the Auburn-Florida matchup on February 8, where Clayton scored 19 points, was staged. Meanwhile, he also walked with a piece of history. With his 34 points, he became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to drop back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and semifinals. His performance helped the Gators steal another win over their SEC rivals. Now, comparisons to Steph Curry are flying, and who can blame them?

Interestingly, for Clayton’s teammates, it might not have been too surprising. In fact, at the half-time, they said to each other that 20 minutes was a lot of time for them to take the game away! Because, as they say, Clayton radiates a confidence among the entire squad that heats them up like anything. “I feel like he’s in the zone every time he touches the rock,” Sam Alexis said “We’ve got Walt. He’s going to let it fly.” And that made the difference. At least, that is what Bruce said after the game.

“He can go both ways. He can make tough shots. About the only thing, again, I probably should have done more is trap the ball out of his hands a little bit. Believe it or not, that was part of our game plan, but we just didn’t execute it. Like just sort of you say all things are kind of equal. Clayton was the difference. He was just flat out the difference,” the head coach admitted. And what about Clayton after the tremendous expectation he has given rise to with his phenomenal performances?

His teammates say he is incredibly calm. “He never shows too much emotion,” Gators center Micah Handlogten said of Clayton. And the man of the moment acknowledges that. “That’s just me, I guess,” Clayton said. “Don’t get too high, don’t get too low.” But Auburn fans looked to have hit a low. Frustrated, they took to social media to vent.

Fans fume as Bruce Pearl loses again in the Final Four

Charles Barkley was one of the first guys to blame the Auburn head coach for tonight’s loss as one fan highlights. “Now Charles Barkley is throwing Bruce Pearl under the bus for Auburn’s few fast break points. They can both go home.😏 #auburnvsflorida,” commented the fan. Another joined in saying, “Bruce pearl must’ve gave the worst halftime speech of all time wtf #florida #auburn”

From the moment the game tipped off, it was all Auburn. Johni Broome got the first bucket of the game and seemed to be enjoying considerable success against his matchup Condon. Broome was seen trash-talking Condon right after the first bucket. Auburn finished the half strong, scoring 46 points, committing just two turnovers, and building an 8-point lead as they headed into the second half. They were just 20 minutes away from that coveted championship game. But then, everything came crashing down for the Tigers.

The Gators began the second half all guns blazing. A 13-3 run to start the second half and the 8-point lead gone in an instant. 12 turnovers in the second half resulted in Florida getting 16 valuable points. They ended the game with a +10 in points off turnovers. It was a nightmare. To make matters worse, Auburn’s offense fell apart, scoring only 27 points in the final 20 minutes.. “12 turnovers in the second half. 27 points in 20 minutes and we didn’t call one timeout until the end,” noted a fan.

A frustrated fan took to X to vent, saying, “Walter Clayton Jr with 34 pts as he leads Florida to their first Championship Game since 2007, which was the Gators repeat run (2006-07) 🏀🐊 Bruce Pearl and Auburn may have missed their best chance to finally win a national championship. What a season by Johnni Broome he should be proud.”

It was a Walter Clayton Show throughout the game. Even in the first half, when Auburn was easily the dominant side, it was the former Iona guard who kept the Gators in the hunt. He went 5-9 from the field, and his 14 points kept the gap down to just 8 points. A fan highlighted how Clayton’s first-half performance was crucial to the Gators’ win. They said, “Yesterday, Auburn HC Bruce Pearl said that Walter Clayton Jr. can’t be the best guard on the court. Tonight, he has looked like it. 14 first-half points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor. #MFinalFour”

Of course, Clayton went a step further by going 6-9 from the field in the second half, adding another 20 points to his name as they sunk their SEC rivals for the second time this season. Bruce Pearl knew if they had to keep dancing forward, they had to keep the guard quiet–but they couldn’t.

Reaching the Final Four is no small feat. A Final Four berth is something the program isn’t familiar with in the first place, so why are the Tigers’ fans so frustrated? Well, like the fan pointed out above, this was probably their best chance to do it. Bruce Pearl went all-in on experience this season.

Auburn had several fifth-year seniors like Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Dylan Cardwell, Chaney Johnson, and Chris Moore. Pearl also went into the transfer portal to pick up a trio of fourth-year seniors in Miles Kelly, Ja’Heim “Turtle” Hudson, and JP Pegues, joining the fourth-year senior in Denver Jones. Freshmen Tahaad Pettiford and Jahki Howard were the only non-seniors in the rotation. It was going to be a make-or-break season for the Tigers. Assembling another core like this was always going to be tough. This is what frustrates the fans because they think this was probably their only chance to win the championship. Now, with NPOY contender Johni Broome gone, the dreams of winning the first championship in program history look bleak! But there are fans who are still behind Pearl.

“Oh I trust Bruce Pearl, it’s just a bittersweet moment right now for me, but I’ll be alright 💯.” Why wouldn’t they? This is the guy who flipped the program on its head. Auburn is now one of the powerhouses in college basketball, thanks to him. Yes, he hasn’t delivered a championship yet, but with two Final Four trips, four SEC regular-season titles, two SEC Tournament championships, and a number 1 overall seed in this year’s selection Sunday, you can rest assured that the championship coming to Auburn is only a matter of when, not if. One can only wonder what if Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara were fully fit for tonight’s game. Would the outcome have been different?