Gators, Walter Clayton Jr. close out Auburn to reach title game - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — Whenever things begin to fall apart, Florida turns to its star.

And it's in those moments when the best version of Walter Clayton Jr. shows up.

It happened again Saturday, as Clayton took it upon himself — again — to ruin Auburn's dreams and send the NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed Tigers home. The Associated Press first team All-American scored 34 points in the Gators' 79-73 Final Four win. A late 3-point play — a bucket and a free throw off a driving layup — sealed the win for a determined Florida squad.

Walter Clayton Jr. is the seventh player to have 30-plus points in both the Elite Eight and national semifinals in a single NCAA tournament:

On Feb. 8, Clayton scored 19 points and made 50% of his 3-point attempts in a 90-81 victory at Auburn. On Saturday, he was even better.

With the performance, Clayton became the first player with back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinals since Larry Bird in 1979, according to ESPN Research.

«We're just all together, on the court and off the court,» Clayton said.

Earlier this week, Alijah Martin said Clayton's gift is that he never seems to panic in the diciest moments.

«He's always calm,» Martin said. «He's just calm.»

During the NCAA tournament, Florida has found itself with its back against the wall several times — against UConn, Maryland, Texas Tech and, on Saturday, Auburn.

Down by nine points early in the second half, the Gators turned to their hero, who extended his postseason display of backbreaking shots as he led Florida out of another hole. The Gators now advance to the program's first national title game since 2007, when they won the second of back-to-back championships.

Martin, the Robin to Clayton's Batman all year and a