The Florida Gators clutch shooting at the end of the second round male basketball confrontation helped to knock out the two-time defender champion UCONN Huskies on Sunday 77-75.
No. 1 Florida did not lead at all until 2:44 in the game. Guard Walter Clayton Jr. nailed a triple and then a huskies rotation led to a voyage of Will Richard. He was part of a 6-0 race and the Gators never looked back.
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Florida’s guard, Alijah Martin, celebrates after scoring against Uconn, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Raleight, North Carolina. (Photo AP/Chris Carlson)
Alijah Martin then threw a dump of an offensive rebound to put the exclamation point in the dramatic victory.
The game was tied at 31 in the long time after Hassan Diarra de Uconn nailed a triple. It seemed that the Huskies were about to generate impulse to stun one of the best teams in the nation. But Florida kept him close. The Huskies never had an advantage of more than six points.
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The Connecticut striker, Liam McNeeley, reacts after making a 3 -point shot against Florida, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Raleigh. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Clayton finished with 23 points. It was 6 of 14 from the field and 5 of 8 from the range of 3 points. Martin added 18 points and Richard had 15.
Liam McNeely, who hit a bell before the end of the game, led the Huskies with 22 points.
The Gators will return to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 with Michael White. The team lost in the first round last season and left the second round three times before that.
Florida won the SEC championship this season on the road to obtain seed number 1 in the west region. The team will play the winner of No. 12 Colorado State and No. 4 Maryland.
Florida chief coach, Todd Golden reacts during the Connecticut game, on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Raleigh. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The loss of the Huskies ended the opportunity of the program in three consecutive titles of university basketball. Uconn defeated the state of San Diego in 2023 and beat Purdue last year.
