Chomp, Chomp: Florida Is Final Four Bound After Punching Texas Tech In The Mouth Down The Stretch

After going on a run to finish the regular season and winning the SEC Tournament, Florida entered the NCAA Tournament as the hottest team in college basketball. Even with Texas Tech going on a 12-2 run in the second half, the Gators would not be denied over the final two minutes, clinching a Final Four spot with the 84-79 win.

Just after the Red Raiders went on their own 12-2 run, the Gators stormed back with a 14-2 run led by Walter Clayton Jr., who finished the game with 28 points to help send Florida to San Antonio for a shot at a national championship. 

There were always questions about whether this run could continue for Florida, pushing teams around in the paint, while staying hot from behind the perimeter. Just when it looked as though Texas Tech was going to finish the job, the Red Raiders picked a horrible time to start missing free-throws down the stretch. 

"Obviously who doesn't want to make free throws? Everybody does. Nobody steps up there and misses intentionally, especially in those moments," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said postgame. "But everybody likes -- there's more effort things in this game that we could have done. And I could have done a better job coaching us down the stretch to put us in better positions."

After trading baskets during the first half, with Florida taking a 40-37 lead into the halftime break, it looked as though the Gators' game plan was falling apart, with just over eight minutes remaining in the game and the Red Raiders holding a ten-point lead. 

Or so we thought. 

Florida Bites Back Down The Stretch, As Texas Tech Chokes On Gator

As they’ve done throughout the season, the Gators found a way to get it done down the stretch, with what felt like the entire building in San Francisco rooting for their demise. Simply put, the Gators started chomping away at the Red Raiders lead, and never stopped biting. 

Only losing two games over the past two months, this Todd Golden team was built for this type of game, taking a barrage of punches, only to keep hitting back enough that it finally sunk any chances of an upset. 

It's one thing to not back down when things are going against you, but going on an 18-4 run to finish the game is championship-style winning. And by the way, it wasn't just Walter Clayton Jr. or Alex Condon that led this team to a Final Four. No, it was Thomas Haugh that scored 20 points and kept Florida in this game when it looked as though everything was falling apart. 

For the first time since 2014, Florida is headed back to the Final Four, its fourth overall appearance. 

"I don't think the best team won this game," Charles Barkley said postgame. I'm sure Sir Charles has watched a lot of SEC basketball this season, but this Florida team is mentally tough, especially with its backs against the wall. 

SAN FRANCISCO - Walter Clayton Jr. of the Florida Gators celebrates after defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders 84-79 in the West Regional Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 29, 2025.  (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Yes, Texas Tech choked this game away over the final eight minutes of regulation, but this is what happens when you are playing against a squad that doesn't know how to give up. For a team to give a game away, the other squad has to capitalize, obviously. 

"You know we have been a great free-throw shooting team all year long," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said postgame. "Unfortunately, I think JT got in a rut. He's the one that missed five of them. Other than that Darrion Williams -- I know they were trying to intentionally foul at the end, and we recognized it. That's where I didn't do a good enough job.

"But they weren't trying to intentionally foul Darrion Williams. That was a mistake. He went up there and missed the front end of a one-on-one."

For the Gators, they withstood the Red Raiders' best shot for a four-minute stretch, never succumbing to the ten-count. 

Now, Florida will hop on a plane and head to San Antonio, one win away from a chance at playing for a national championship.