Clayton Jr. Shines In A Season-Defining Win For Florida At Kentucky

The Florida Gators men’s basketball team defeated the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats 94-91 in overtime Wednesday night at sold-out Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

With 13 seconds remaining in regulation, the Gators had possession and trailed by three. Zyon Pullin dribbled the ball downcourt and passed the ball to an open Walter Clayton Jr., who pump-faked the Kentucky defender and nailed the game-tying 3-pointer.

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1752891007354454116

With three seconds remaining, Kentucky was unable to make a shot and the game went to overtime. The Gators outscored Kentucky 10-7 in overtime to secure their first Quadrant 1 win (a system that seeds the NCAA tournament).

First Half’s Key Moment

Although Florida (15-6, 5-3 SEC) and Kentucky (15-5, 5-3) remained deadlocked for the majority of the game, the Gators almost let the game slip away from them in the first half. Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard hit a jump shot to put the Wildcats up 10 points with 1:10 remaining in the half. It looked like Kentucky would enter the second half with all of the momentum and a sizeable lead.

Zyon Pullin immediately responded with a 3-pointer. After a missed shot from Kentucky, Thomas Haugh heaved a beautiful full-court pass to Will Richard, who made the layup to cut Kentucky’s lead to five points entering halftime.

The Gators carried the momentum through the next half, taking a lead over Kentucky in less than two minutes. After that, neither team would lead by more than four points in regulation.

Clayton Jr. Highlights Transfer Success

The Gators roster looks entirely different in coach Todd Golden‘s second year. Four of the Gators starting five came from the transfer portal last offseason. Wednesday’s game against Kentucky displayed just how impactful the transfer portal can be. Transfer players have been dominating all season for Florida.

Sure, Walter Clayton hit seven 3s and Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel had big games, too.

But this #Gators win — the biggest in several years — was about belief from everyone in the program.

My story from Lexington.⤵️https://t.co/OqQjmHn01s

— Chris Harry (@GatorsChris) February 1, 2024

The Gators’ top three scorers Wednesday, Clayton Jr., Tyrese Samuel and Pullin, were all additions from the portal. And those same three players are leading the Gators in points per game this season. Wednesday’s performance from Clayton Jr. (23 points) is nothing new, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. Samuel scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds and Pullin scored 21 points with seven assists.

Why it Matters

Despite being 14-6 with a winning record in the SEC before the win, the Gators were on the outside looking in of a March Madness tournament berth. This was primarily due to the lack of a season-defining win for the Gators. They were 0-3 against ranked teams prior to Wednesday’s game. Defeating Kentucky will propel the Gators’ case for a NCAA appearance.

The win against Kentucky marked the Gators’ first road win against a top-10 team since 2003 and the best win in the Golden era.

Time to watch again!! Roll the highlights 🎥 pic.twitter.com/0AAPEY3f3N

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 1, 2024

The Gators travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M (12-8, 3-4) for a 4 p.m. game Saturday, looking for their fifth consecutive win. ESPN2, ESPN 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF will carry the game.