The Gators No. 1 of Florida made a furious return on Saturday to defeat the No. 3 Texas Tech 84-79 and ensure the first place in the Final Four.
Later at night, the Gators joined the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, which achieved an 85-65 victory over Alabama No. 3 in the East Region finals.
Florida and the Red Raiders jumped the Eight Elite at the Chase Center in San Francisco in the final of the west region.
The Gators followed 71-61 with just over six remaining in the second half, at one point and almost four minutes without scoring. But Florida finished the game in a 23-8 race to avoid discomfort and reserve a ticket to San Antonio.
The Gators were led in annotations by Senior Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 30 points in their best tournament performance. Clayton was greatly helped by the second year student Thomas Haugh, who added 20 own points.
With their team behind 10, Haugh and Clayton scored the next 17 points of their team to put Florida ahead 78-77. The dynamic duo reached 7 of 14 shots of three, including five in the last five minutes of the game and 24 seconds.
The Red Riders were led by Eavel Junior Darrion Williams, who scored 23 in the loser effort. Williams was dominant during much of the night, particularly hurting the Gators by publishing against individual coverage.
Williams and the second year striker Jt Toppin, who had 20 points, both succeeded in the interior, but the outdoor shot balanced the game late. After starting the night firing only 4 out of 16, Florida hit five of her last eight attempts. The Gators also reached the free throw line 27 times and reached 25.
By capturing Deep’s fire, Florida was able to overcome careless performance. The Gators committed 12 ball losses, outside which Texas Tech scored 22 points. Ultimately, as large as the Raiders Network took the ball and got into the paint, they could not exceed the difference in three points and free throw lines.
Florida, as the winner of the West Region, is now in the Final Four for the first time since 2014.
The Blue Devils, on the other hand, are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2022, and for the first time under chief coach Jon Scheyer.
Duke was dominant defensively against the crimson tide.
Alabama led the country in annotations during the regular season, but on Saturday night he remained at its lowest total score since January 14.
The Blue Devils were led by the first year guard Kon Knueppel, who scored 21 points.
Cooper Flagg, the alleged selection No. 1 in the next NBA draft this summer, added 16 points. Flagg connected three of his first five field goals, and then only three of his last 11.
Duke’s size and physicalness were a problem for the crimson tide at each end of the floor.
Offensively, the Blue Devils registered 40 points in the paint and obtained 22 trips to the free throw line. Duke also triggered 53% from the field.
Defensively, the best seed kept Alabama just 35.4% of shots. The Senior Mark Sears guard, who scored 34 points for the Crimson Tide at Sweet 16, had six points in 2 of 12 shots. Sears also had five ball losses.
Alabama never led in the game and the score was never tied after 0-0.
Scheyer, 37, is in his third season as a chief coach of Duke. A year after his team was bounced in the Eight Elite, the Blue Devils are now one step closer to their sixth national championship.
