BREAKING NEWS. THAT BREAKING NEWS COMES WITH A BIG WIN FOR THE FLORIDA GATORS. THE MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM IS HEADED TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE FOURTH TIME EVER. WE HAVE GOT WESH TWO TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU TONIGHT. DAVID JONES IS AT A BAR WHERE GATORS FANS ARE CELEBRATING. BUT FIRST WE’RE GOING TO START WITH SPORTS DIRECTOR DAREN STOLZFUS, WHO FOLLOWED THE TEAM FROM RALEIGH TO SAN FRANCISCO, AND NOW SAN ANTONIO, WHERE THE GATORS HAVE BEEN WINNING EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE? DARREN? YEAH. HEY, THERE. THIS HAS JUST BEEN A STELLAR RUN. A DREAM SEASON FOR THE FLORIDA GATORS. AND IT CONTINUES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. THIS WAS A GAME. THAT WAS WHAT ALEX CONDON CALLED THE MOST PHYSICAL GAME OF HIS CAREER. A LOT OF BEATING AND BANGING, WHICH IS WHAT THEY DO IN THE SEC. AUBURN AND FLORIDA BATTLING IT OUT. THERE WAS NO GETTING ACQUAINTED. THEY KNOW EACH OTHER WELL. A VERY PHYSICAL GAME FROM THE START. AUBURN ACTUALLY CONTROLLED THIS GAME AT HALFTIME, REALLY BEATING UP THE GATORS INSIDE. BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT CHANGED AT HALFTIME. WHETHER IT WAS WORDS FROM AN ASSISTANT, WALTER CLAYTON JR. OR TODD GOLDEN. THE GATORS CAME OUT EARLY IN THE SECOND HALF WITH AN 11 ZERO RUN. THEY REALLY TOOK CONTROL. AND DOWN THE STRETCH WALTER CLAYTON JUNIOR DID WHAT HE DOES 34 POINTS TO LEAD THE WAY. THE GATORS WIN 7973. THEY WILL PLAY FOR A NATIONAL TITLE MONDAY AFTER THE GAME, WE SEE THEM WALK OFF THE FLOOR TO THEIR LOCKER ROOM. IT’S ABOUT A TWO MINUTE WALK FROM THAT STAGE. THEY PLAY ON ALL THE WAY BACK TO THEIR LOCKER ROOM AND THIS WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. THEY HAD TO WALK PAST DUKE, WHO THEY COULD POTENTIALLY PLAY MONDAY. AND AUBURN PLAYERS WERE KIND OF MIXED IN THERE AS WELL. SO THE CELEBRATION DIDN’T REALLY START UNTIL THEY GOT IN THE LOCKER ROOM. BUT SEVERAL PLAYERS, AS THEY WALKED PAST US SAID IT. ONE MORE LEFT. YOU KNOW, IT’S A SPECIAL TO BE A PART OF THIS TEAM. WE HAVE SO MANY GOOD PLAYERS. I THINK WALTER CLAYTON WAS OBVIOUSLY HUGE DOWN THE STRETCH AND, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKING WINNING PLAYS. THOMAS HOWARD WAS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE TODAY AS WELL. SO YEAH, WE HAVE AWESOME PLAYERS AND YOU KNOW GREAT TEAM CHEMISTRY OFF THE COURT AS WELL. SO JUST FULL CREDIT TO THE TEAM AND THE BOYS. SO WE WORKED VERY HARD TO BE HERE FROM SINCE THE OFF SEASON. WE PUSH EACH OTHER EACH AND EVERY DAY IN PRACTICE. AND WE JUST KNEW WE WERE GOING TO GET HERE, BUT IT WAS HOW WE WERE GOING TO GET HERE. AND I THINK DEFENSIVELY TODAY IN THE SECOND HALF ESPECIALLY, WE WE CAME TOGETHER AND WE GOT A LOT OF REBOUNDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. WE GOT A LOT OF STOPS. SO I THINK THAT WAS A BIG FACTOR IN OUR RUN. I MEAN, IT’S A DREAM COME TRUE. IT’S THE REASON I CAME BACK THIS YEAR. I COULD HAVE REDSHIRTED, BUT I JUST KNOW IT’S SOMETHING SPECIAL WITH THIS GROUP AND IT MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT. YEAH. HOW ABOUT MICAH HANDLOGTEN STORY A YEAR AGO? THIS TIME, HE HAD JUST BROKEN HIS LEG IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT. STILL COULDN’T WALK AT THIS POINT. NOW HE’S HELPING GET THE GATORS INTO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. AS FOR THE AUBURN TIGERS, DANNY BROOME IS THEIR BEST PLAYER. HE WAS A NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST. HE WAS HELD TO THREE POINTS IN THE SECOND HALF, 15 FOR THE GAME, A HUGE REASON WHY THE GATORS WILL PLAY FOR A TITLE. AFTER THE GAME, I ASKED TODD GOLDEN IF HE HAD ANY PREFERENCE IF HE WANTED TO PLAY HOUSTON OR DUKE MONDAY NIGHT. HE LOOKED ME SQUARE IN THE EYE AND SAID NO. AT THIS POINT, WE ARE PREPARING FOR A WAR, NO MATTER WHO WE PLAY ON MONDAY NIGHT. MUCH MORE COMING UP LATER IN SPORTS, BUT FOR NOW, LIVE IN SAN ANTONIO WITH THE FINAL FOUR DAREN STOLZFUS. WE’LL SEND IT BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. DAREN. MEANWHILE, OUR TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES WITH WESH TWO. DAVID JONES AT THE THIRSTY GATOR OYSTER BAR IN WINTER PARK TONIGHT. HE JOINS US LIVE WHERE GATORS FANS SWAMPED THE PUB TO WATCH THAT BIG GAME. AND DAVID, THIS WAS A NAIL BITER UP UNTIL THE VERY END. YEAH NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. IT WAS A MASSIVE CELEBRATION TONIGHT FOR FLORIDA GATORS FANS WHO CAME OUT, PACKED THE BAR AND WANTED TO WATCH THEIR BOYS WALK AWAY FROM THEIR FIRST FINAL FOUR APPEARANCE IN MORE THAN A DECADE WITH A VICTORY. A MONUMENTAL NIGHT FOR GATOR FANS. I BELIEVE IN THE GATORS, EVERYBODY BELIEVES IN THEM, SO ANYONE WHO SET FOOT IN THE THIRSTY GATOR NOT WEARING ORANGE AND BLUE GO GATOR WAS GATOR BAIT. GO, GATORS! THEY’RE NOT A CINDERELLA STORY THIS YEAR. THEY ARE THAT GOOD. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ALL AROUND OVERALL. NUMBER ONE. WE BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM. THEY BELIEVED IN THEMSELVES ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND THEY’RE DOING IT. AND AT THIS SMALL BAR OFF GOLDENROD. WE’VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, 40 YEARS. THE DECOR MATCHED THE ENERGY. WE KIND OF WENT OVERBOARD WITH THE THIRSTY GATOR. THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TEAM, TIM GROVES HAS BEEN OWNER HERE FOR GOING ON FOR DECADES. WE’RE JUST VERY BLESSED AND LUCKY TO HAVE THE FANS WE DO. FANS WHO BOOK OUT EVERY LAST SEAT IN THE PLACE AHEAD OF THE GAME. A LOT OF THESE FANS WERE HERE WHEN WE HAD OUR RUN WITH THE SEC TOURNAMENT, AND THEY ALL WANT TO BE BACK. EVERYONE ACKNOWLEDGES WHAT AN HONOR IT WAS TO WATCH THE GATORS PLAY IN THE FINAL FOUR TO WIN. AND WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT THE TEAM. IT’S A YOUNG GROUP. THE GUARDS ARE ALL SENIORS. EVERYBODY ELSE JUNIORS AND BELOW, AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A GREAT TEAM COMING BACK NEXT YEAR, ESPECIALLY WITH THAT SEVEN FOOT NINE GUY. OBVIOUSLY I’M VERY BIASED, BUT I THINK THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IS OBVIOUSLY THE FLAGSHIP UNIVERSITY OF THIS STATE. AND ANY TIME WE CAN EMBRACE SUCCESS THAT WE’VE HAD IN THE PAST, BUT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING BACK, THAT THE FANS JUST GET SO EXCITED FOR IT. AND I THINK IT’S BRINGING BACK MEMORIES OF BILLY DONOVAN. JUST A HUGE VICTORY TONIGHT. 79 TO 73 FLORIDA. AND I’LL TELL YOU IF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS CRAZY TONIGHT, JUST WAIT UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT. REPORTING LIVE FROM THE THIRSTY GATOR DAVID JONES WESH TWO NEWS. AND THE GATORS ARE HOPING TO GO ALL THE WAY THIS TIME. OF COURSE. AND IF THEY WIN THE NEXT GAME, IT WON’T BE THEIR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE. THE GATORS HAVE WON TWO NCAA NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE PAST. THEY WERE BACK TO BACK WINNERS IN 2006 AND 2007 UNDER COACH BILLY DONOVAN. WHEN THEY BEAT MY TEAM, THE UCLA BRUINS. AND OF COURSE, WE ARE STAYING ON TOP OF THIS BREAKING STORY AS THE GATORS KEEP CHASING THAT CHAMPIONSHIP. THE BIG CHALLENGE STILL TO COME FOR THE GATORS COMING U
Florida Gators advance to NCAA men’s basketball championship game
The No. 1 Florida Gators defeated the Auburn Tigers, 79-73, on Saturday in San Antonio to advance to Monday’s NCAA championship game. The Gators were led by First Team All American Walter Clayton Jr, who scored 34 points on 11-18 shooting, while also bringing down four rebounds. Another key contributor for Florida was transfer guard Alijah Martin, who added 17 points while also playing exceptional defense.However, the key to Florida’s victory was their ability to contain SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome. The Gators held Auburn’s All-American big man to 15 points, allowing just three in the second half.The Tigers’ leading scorer was Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored 18 points while also tallying four steals. Next, Florida will face the winner of Sunday’s Final Four matchup between Duke and Houston. The game will take place on Monday, April 7th at 8:50 p.m., broadcast live on CBS.Final Four Preview For the first time in over a decade, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team will be playing in the Final Four. Saturday marks the second meeting between Florida and Auburn on the hardwood this season, when Florida handed Auburn their second loss of the season back in February.Most recently, the Gators climbed back from a double-digit deficit with an 18-4 run to close out Texas Tech in their Elite Eight victory.Florida is led by First Team All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr, who scored 30 points last game and is averaging 18.1 points per game. Another player who stepped up is sophomore forward Thomas Haugh, a key role player who scored 20 points and also had some key contributions on the defensive end.Florida’s defensive anchor, Alex Condon, who has been fighting an ankle injury since the Sweet 16, was limited last game (7 points, 33% FG), and it will be key to see how he plays this game.Auburn, on the other hand, is led by SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome, who is averaging 18.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game.Saturday’s game will be televised on CBS, and tip-off is set for 6:09 p.m. ET.
SAN ANTONIO —The No. 1 Florida Gators defeated the Auburn Tigers, 79-73, on Saturday in San Antonio to advance to Monday’s NCAA championship game.
The Gators were led by First Team All American Walter Clayton Jr, who scored 34 points on 11-18 shooting, while also bringing down four rebounds. Another key contributor for Florida was transfer guard Alijah Martin, who added 17 points while also playing exceptional defense.
However, the key to Florida’s victory was their ability to contain SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome. The Gators held Auburn’s All-American big man to 15 points, allowing just three in the second half.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
The Tigers’ leading scorer was Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored 18 points while also tallying four steals.
Next, Florida will face the winner of Sunday’s Final Four matchup between Duke and Houston.
The game will take place on Monday, April 7th at 8:50 p.m., broadcast live on CBS.
Final Four Preview
For the first time in over a decade, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team will be playing in the Final Four.
Saturday marks the second meeting between Florida and Auburn on the hardwood this season, when Florida handed Auburn their second loss of the season back in February.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Most recently, the Gators climbed back from a double-digit deficit with an 18-4 run to close out Texas Tech in their Elite Eight victory.
Florida is led by First Team All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr, who scored 30 points last game and is averaging 18.1 points per game.
Another player who stepped up is sophomore forward Thomas Haugh, a key role player who scored 20 points and also had some key contributions on the defensive end.
Florida’s defensive anchor, Alex Condon, who has been fighting an ankle injury since the Sweet 16, was limited last game (7 points, 33% FG), and it will be key to see how he plays this game.
Auburn, on the other hand, is led by SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome, who is averaging 18.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game.
Saturday’s game will be televised on CBS, and tip-off is set for 6:09 p.m. ET.
