Florida Announces Major Walter Clayton Jr. News Ahead of Final Four Matchup vs. Auburn
The No. 1 seed Florida Gators have had an unforgettable NCAA Tournament run to reach the Final Four. Despite dominating for most of the season, they were pushed to the brink by the Connecticut Huskies in the second round and faced an even bigger challenge in the Elite Eight, where they trailed by double digits with just five minutes left on the clock against Texas Tech.
However, behind a clutch performance from Thomas Haugh and star point guard Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators mounted a comeback, defeating the Red Raiders to punch their ticket to the Final Four out of the West Region.
Now, ahead of their highly anticipated matchup against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night, the Florida program has announced some major news about the remarkable season Clayton has had.
The Gators revealed that he’s been named one of the five finalists for the prestigious Wooden Award, which is given to the National Player of the Year.
“Walter.” Florida posted.
The four other finalists for the Wooden Award are Cooper Flagg of Duke, Johni Broome from Auburn, Braden Smith from Purdue, and Mark Sears from Alabama. Three of these five finalists will be competing in the semifinals this weekend.
While Flagg and Broome seem to be the frontrunners, Clayton Jr. has proven to be worthy of being considered for the award. In Florida’s four games so far, the former Iona transfer has put up impressive scoring performances with 23, 23, 13, and 30 points.
This season, Clayton Jr. is averaging 18.1 points, 4.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He is also shooting 44.6% from the field, 38.5% from beyond the arc, and an impressive 86.5% from the free-throw line.
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