Despite trailing by ten points with less than 6:30 to go in the game, the Florida Gators were able to rally back and knock off the Texas Tech Red Raiders 84-79 in the Elite Eight to secure the school’s sixth-ever Final Four berth.
“They (Texas Tech) had our backs against the wall. I think we were down ten under the four-minute media [timeout],” said Florida’s third-year head coach Todd Golden to open the postgame press conference. “But credit to our players and our staff. I thought we did a great job staying the course, not getting too high, not getting too low. Not trying to make hero defensive plays down the stretch. We executed our fouls. These two guys next to me (Walter Clayton Jr. and Thomas Haugh) made some big-time shots.”
Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. certainly found his rhythm later in the game. After being held to eight points in the first half, he exploded for 22 in the second half, including 13 points in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the game.
“A couple shots went in, they (Texas Tech) kinda turned around and looked at their bench like, ‘how?’,” he said. “Honestly, nothing was going through my mind. My mind was kinda just blank. I’m thankful the shots went in. We were locked in until the final buzzer sounded.”
Meanwhile, sophomore forward Thomas Haugh scored six of his 20 points in the last three minutes of the contest.
“Man, he’s meant everything,” explained Walter Clayton Jr. “I said it multiple times, I think multiple guys on our team don’t get enough recognition. I think Tommy is definitely one of them. He just comes in every day, he puts his head down, and works… I’m thankful for him.”
“It’s crazy. I feel like I’m dreaming,” Thomas Haugh chuckled. “I was watching Round of 64 in like eighth grade, sneaking my phone into science class watching it. Now, to say I’m playing in the Final Four is wild. It’s wild.”
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After Florida started five for 19 from beyond the arc, Todd Golden admitted that he was not feeling great about the team’s performance.
“I was discouraged for a while… The three-point shooting was the difference for a while,” Golden said. “But down the stretch, obviously, I think we made our last four. And we needed every single one of them, and they were huge for us.”
At the end of the day, those made baskets were the reason why the Gators advanced to the Final Four.
“It’s incredible. It’s absolutely incredible,” Golden said. “It’s a direct result of the work that our players have done all year and the work my staff has done… We don’t do this without the collective work of our program. I’m incredibly proud to be able to be here in year three. And to get Florida back to the Final Four is something that’s incredibly special.”
In typical coaching fashion, Golden knows that their job isn’t done yet. They still have two games left before they’re crowned National Champions.
“We’ll have a night tonight to kinda soak this up and take it in. Then we’re gonna fly back to Gainesville tomorrow morning… We’ll get back together on Monday, and we’ll start preparing… But we’re going to enjoy it tonight, for sure,” he said. “If you don’t enjoy the victories, this is a tough profession to be in. So we will enjoy it.”
Next Saturday, the Florida Gators will face the Auburn Tigers at 6:09 p.m. EST. The victor will advance to the National Championship Game, where they will face the winner of the Houston-Duke Final Four matchup.
