FINAL
Florida 87
Maryland 71
The Gators secure their ninth-consecutive victory and advance to the Elite Eight, downing Maryland by 16. Florida will await to find out whether it plays Texas Tech or Arkansas Saturday.
SECOND HALF
– Florida leads, 84-66, with 3:11 to play. The Gators will advance to the Elite Eight barring a miracle for the Terps.
– A pair of free throws from Martin gives Florida a 70-56 lead with 8:12 to play. Chinyelu picks up his fourth foul on the ensuing possession
– Florida leads, 63-54, with 10:24 to play. Denzel Aberdeen has made all three of his field-goal attempts off the bench, and the Gators continue to dominate on the glass. With Gillespie picking up his fourth foul, Florida has a chance to pull away – time to see if they capitalize.
– Alex Condon returns with 13:29 remaining in regulation.
– Another lay-up by Chinyelu gives Florida a 10-point advantage
– Back-to-back makes by Chinyelu gives Florida a 50-42 lead, and Maryland calls timeout.
– Florida opens the second half with a pair of free throws by Haugh followed by a three-pointer from Martin. UF takes a 45-38 lead
FIRST HALF
– HALFTIME: Florida takes a 40-38 lead into the break, with Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard leading the way with 12 points apiece. UF has looked a bit out of sorts in the low post without Condon, with Chinyelu and Haugh combining to go 2-for-8 from the field. The Gators had 11 fouls and 13 turnovers in the first half.
– Alijah Martin knocks down Florida’s sixth three-pointer of the first half, followed by a transition lay-up from Will Richard. UF leads, 40-36, with a minute until halftime.
– A three-pointer by Rodney Rice ties the game at 33, and Haugh is called for a foul on the next possession after a steal
– Clayton will head to the free throw line after the final media timeout of the first half. UF leads, 31-30, with the Terps having missed their previous five field-goal attempts
– Florida’s ninth foul leads to a pair of free throws by Derik Queen. The Terps have a 30-27 lead
– Will Richard drills a three-pointer after Maryland tied the game at 24
– Alex Condon limps off with an apparent right ankle injury
– Thomas Haugh knocks down a three-pointer from the wing, and UF has a 15-9 lead ahead of the second media timeout. Florida
– Clayton Jr. connects on a second three-pointer on a fadeaway near the corner
– Condon has four points and a pair of offensive rebounds as the Gators lead, 7-6, at the under-16 timeout
– Chinyelu’s shot is too strong, but Alex Condon follows it with a two-handed putback dunk. Florida has a 5-2 lead ahead of the first media timeout.
– Walter Clayton Jr. knocks down a three-pointer 50 seconds into the game to open the scoring for the Gators
PREGAME
– Florida and Maryland square off in the Sweet 16 round after the Gators outlasted UConn in the second round, as Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the final eight minutes to help the Gators rally from a six-point deficit against the Huskies.
– UF is set to make its 11th all-time Sweet 16 appearance, posting a 9-1 record in that round all-time. Florida’s last Sweet 16 game featured Chris Chiozza‘s overtime buzzer-beater against Wisconsin in 2017 at Madison Square Garden.
– Consensus First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr.’s 1,258 points over his two seasons at UF trail only the legendary Neal Walk’s scoring output over a two-season span (1,312; 1967-69). His 199 three pointers trail only Lee Humphrey (226, 2005-07) for most by a Gator over two seasons. Clayton has made a three pointer in a program-record 58 consecutive appearances.
– Florida’s senior trio of guards – Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard – combined for 56 of the Gators’ 77 points to defeat UConn. Clayton scored 13 of his 23 over the final eight minutes, while Richard had 13 of his 15 in the second half. Martin carried UF early, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the first half.
– Over UF’s five postseason tournament games, Clayton has hit 22 of 43 three point attempts, good for 4.4 per game at a .512 clip.
– Before beating UConn in the Round of 32, Florida raced to a 51-19 lead against. Norfolk State and cruised to a 26-point win, paced by Clayton’s 23 points. The Gators made 27 of their 33 free throw attempts, and 21 offensive rebounds led to 24 points.
– The Gators captured the 2025 SEC Tournament championship, the team’s fifth and its first since 2014. Clayton averaged 20.7 points and 4.7 assists and hit 13 of 26 three point attempts to take home MVP honors. Richard earned All-Tournament Team recognition with 16.7 points per game.
– Florida set an SEC Tournament record with 104 points in the semifinal win against No. 5 Alabama. Six Gators scored in double figures, led by Clayton’s 22 with six three pointers.
– Including NCAA and SEC Tournament victories, Florida has won eight consecutive games and 14 of its last 15 matchups, only falling at Georgia on Feb. 25, 88-83, in that stretch.
