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No. 1 seed Florida beat No. 1 overall seed Auburn 79-73 in the final Four to advance to Monday’s NCAA championship game. The Gators will face No. 1 seed Duke or No. 1 seed Houston for the NCAA title.
Florida will be making its first title game appearance since 2007, when it punctuated back-to-back championship appearances.
Florida All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. had an all-time performance, scoring a career-high 34 points to become the first player to score at least 30 points in the Elite Eight and national semifinals during the same NCAA Tournament since Indiana State’s Larry Bird in 1979.
It’s no surprise Clayton tops our player grades with a sterling A+, but how did Florida’s other four starters shake out — and what about the results from Auburn‘s players, which was a mixed bag?
Florida
Walter Clayton Jr.: Is there even a debate about this one? Clayton is the best guard in college basketball. Clayton took over down the stretch and provided the calm and steady presence the Gators needed to advance. Clayton’s NBA Draft stock should be improving, too. Grade: A+
Will Richard: Richard was quiet on offense (1 of 6 from the floor) but played a huge role on the defensive end in the second half. Richard helped shut down some of Auburn’s actions and finished with five rebounds and six assists. Grade: B+
Alijah Martin: This stage wasn’t Martin’s first rodeo. The former FAU star became the first player in college basketball history to start a Final Four game with two different teams. Martin finished with 17 points and had a highlight dunk that shifted the energy to Florida’s favor for good. Grade: A
Alex Condon: Condon struggled against a stout Auburn frontcourt. Condon was limited to one point and missed all five field goal attempts. Outside of recording a key block in the second half, this will be a performance to forget for the Florida star big man, who has not scored in double figures since the first round of this tournament. Grade: C-
Rueben Chinyelu: Florida’s frontcourt is so deep that Chinyelu plays the least amount of minutes of the Gators starters. He finished with five points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. The Washington State transfer did his job in the minutes he played. Grade: B+
Auburn
Johni Broome: Broome’s overall legacy at Auburn shouldn’t be tainted by what happened in the second half vs. Florida. Broome has been one of the best players in college basketball this season, but his play during the final 20 minutes is part of why the Tigers are going home. Florida shut down Broome in the second half. Lingering injuries didn’t help.
“My elbow felt fine going into the game,” Broome said. “Here and there, it bothered me a little bit, but nothing I couldn’t play with. I feel like we got the looks we wanted to get, but I wasn’t able to capitalize and finish them.” Grade: C-
Chad Baker-Mazara: One of the oldest players in college basketball showed up on the big stage. Baker-Mazara finished with a team-high 18 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer that kept the game close in the final minute. Grade: B+
Miles Kelly: The Georgia Tech transfer was one of Auburn’s best 3-point shooters this season but he struggled in this game. Kelly finished 3 of 10 from the floor, and connected on 2 of 7 shots from beyond the arc. Kelly was also scoreless in the second half. Grade: C-
Denver Jones: Jones finished with 10 points but shot just 3 of 9 from the floor. Jones was in foul trouble for most of the second half after picking up three fouls after intermission. Grade: C+
Dylan Cardwell: Cardwell shot 4 of 5 from the floor and finished with nine points and eight rebounds. He scored five points in only 11 minutes of play during the second half. Cardwell had a tough assignment against Florida’s standout bigs and did his job. Grade: B+
