SAN FRANCISCO ― Thanks to a miraculous finish, Florida basketball is heading back to the Final Four for the first time since 2014. The Florida Gators rallied from down nine points in the final 3:14 to beat Texas Tech 84-79 before 16,778 spectators at the Chase Center on March 29, 2025.
It looked bleak when UF (34-4) fell behind 75-66 on a layup by Texas Tech forward JT Toppin with 3:14 remaining. But a Thomas Haugh 3-pointer cut Texas Tech’s lead to 75-69. Then, Haugh and Walter Clayton sank back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the score at 75 with 1:47 left.
After an inside basket by Darrion Williams put Texas Tech up 77-75, Florida went ahead to stay, 78-77, on a 3-pointer by Clayton with 1:03 left. From there, Florida closed the game out at the foul line, as Clayton, Alijah Martin, and Will Richard made six straight free throws in the final 21 seconds.
Clayton led UF with 30 points, with Haugh adding 20 points and 11 rebounds. Williams led Texas Tech with 23 points. Florida basketball remains down 71-64 on Texas Tech with 3:52 remaining. Walter Clayton Jr. scored 20 points, and UF was 5-for-19 from 3-point range.
Florida basketball finds itself down 67-57 on Texas Tech with 7:48 remaining. The Red Raiders were on a 6-0 run and getting anything they wanted inside right now. Darrion Williams led UF with 21 points. The Gators also struggled from the perimeter, going 4-16 from 3-point range, which has hurt.
Florida basketball was down, 50-46, with 13:26 remaining. Walter Clayton Jr. had 12 points, while Thomas Haugh led UF with 14 points. Florida was down 45-42 to Texas Tech at the first TV timeout for the second half, as the Gators were off to a slow start to the second half.
Florida took a 40-37 lead into halftime against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were 7-16 from 3-point range and had outscored UF 13-5 in second chance points. But UF was getting to the foul line and converting, going 10 of 10 in the first half. Thomas Haugh had 12 points and six rebounds to lead UF, while Walter Clayton Jr. had eight points (but 0-3 from 3-point range).
Florida took a 32-31 lead over Texas Tech into the final TV timeout in the first half. Haugh had 10 points to lead UF. Texas Tech was up 24-23 on Florida at the third TV timeout. Darrion Williams had eight points for Texas Tech, but was on the bench with two fouls. Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh had five points apiece for UF.
Florida was fortunate that Texas Tech was 6-10 from the free-throw line. The Gators were 6-6. Florida and Texas Tech were tied at 19 at the second TV timeout. Thomas Haugh had five points to lead UF, and Darrion Williams had six points for Texas Tech.
Florida weathered an early barrage of Texas Tech 3-pointers and was down 11-10 on the Red Raiders at the first TV timeout. Texas Tech was 3-4 from 3-point range to start the game. Texas Tech guard Chance McMillian was available for the Red Raiders in today's Elite Eight matchup with Florida, having been out for the last four games with an oblique strain.
McMillian isn't starting for TTU, while Alex Condon (ankle) was listed in the starting lineup for Florida. The game started at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Chase Center, San Francisco, California.
The No. 3-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders entered Saturday’s Elite Eight matchup against the No. 1-seeded Florida Gators as 7.5-point underdogs, but they gave UF all it could handle. Sophomore forward JT Toppin went off for 20 points and 11 rebounds, while junior forward Darrion Williams contributed 23 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Senior guard Chance McMillan chipped in 14 points and three rebounds in an 84-79 losing effort against the Gators.
Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. led all scorers with 30 points, and forward Thomas Haugh (20) and guard Alijah Martin (10) both hit double digits in scoring to help the Gators reach their first Final Four since 2014, and just their second Final Four appearance since they won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes tweeted, “Great season!!! @TexasTechMBB,” after Texas Tech's loss. Mahomes has been an avid supporter of Texas Tech throughout the NCAA Tournament, having published several posts and shared several others basking in Texas Tech’s March Madness success this year.
This season marked just the third time Texas Tech had made it to the Elite Eight. Aside from those three instances and their national runner-up finish in 2018, the Red Raiders had never finished better than making the Sweet 16, which they’ve done nine times. Texas Tech finishes with a 28-9 record, the third-best mark in program history behind the 2018 runner-up team that went 31-7 and the 1995 team that went 30-2 and bowed out to No. 2 Georgetown in the Sweet 16.
Florida’s memorable season was slipping away for the second time in three games. UF chased down Texas Tech during the final six minutes for an 84-79 win to earn a trip to San Antonio for next week’s national semifinals. Walter Clayton Jr. and Thomas Haugh combined for 50 points for the game, including 22 in the second half. UF trailed 71-61 with 6:18 remaining, but Haugh and Clayton took charge as UF eventually grabbed a 78-77 edge with 59 seconds to go.
The Gators’ first lead was since the 13:26 mark. Clayton, Alijah Martin, and Will Richard each hit two free throws to dispatch the Red Raiders. The Gators, the top seed in the West Region and 6.5-point favorite, rarely replicated the level of play shown during their run to the SEC Tournament title. They could not match Texas Tech’s physicality inside, with All-Big 12 selection Darrion Williams particularly imposing his will.
Williams had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and set the defensive tone inside as Texas Tech manhandled the Gators during a 12-2 run to break a 55-55 tie. Down 67-57, UF continued to fight behind its veteran backcourt trio. Layups by Martin and Richard sandwiched around a layup by Texas Tech star JT Toppin set the stage for Clayton and Haugh’s heroics.
