Heartbreak in Houston: Texas Tech Dominates Late Until Walter Clayton Engineers Miraculous 18-4 Florida Run, Stuns Red Raiders in Final Minutes—Despite Outplaying Gators All Night, Tech Falls as March Magic Pushes Florida Into April
HOUSTON, TX — March 31, 2025
For 35 minutes, it was Texas Tech’s night. For 35 minutes, the Red Raiders looked like they were writing the final chapter of a gritty, calculated march through March. But in the final five minutes of play, a sudden, surreal swing of fate unfolded inside Houston’s NRG Stadium. A relentless, miraculous 18-4 run—led almost singlehandedly by Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr.—flipped the script, stunned the Red Raiders, and pushed the Gators into April’s Final Four.
Final score: Florida 72, Texas Tech 69.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Florida head coach Todd Golden, his voice cracking with disbelief. “We were outplayed. Flat-out. But that’s the magic of March—and tonight, Walter Clayton was that magic.”
Clayton, who had just six points through the first 30 minutes, ignited in the final stretch, pouring in 14 of his 20 points during the closing surge. His go-ahead three-pointer with 22 seconds left, a deep dagger from well beyond the arc, broke a 69-69 tie and sent the Florida bench into a frenzy. Tech, shell-shocked and suddenly scrambling, couldn’t answer.
It was a cruel ending for a Texas Tech squad that had done nearly everything right until that point. They controlled the tempo, forced Florida into tough shots, and out-rebounded the Gators 39-28. Pop Isaacs and Darrion Williams combined for 41 points and dictated the pace with confidence and control. Even with Clayton starting the second half with an early foul and Florida shooting just 29% from three through most of the game, the Gators never looked like a real threat to steal it.
Until they did.
“It hurts,” said Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland. “We had it. You could feel it slipping near the end, but we believed we could still close it. We just couldn’t stop 3 (Clayton) when it mattered.”
The turning point came at the 4:58 mark. Texas Tech led 65-54 after Isaacs hit a mid-range jumper off a high screen. The Red Raider faithful roared, sensing a trip to the Final Four was just minutes away. But instead of tightening the noose, Tech relaxed—just slightly. And that’s all Clayton needed.
The junior guard began the run with a coast-to-coast layup, then picked off an errant pass and drilled a quick three. After a pair of Tech turnovers and missed free throws, Clayton struck again—this time on a pull-up in transition. Suddenly, Florida had cut the deficit to three.
By the time Clayton’s final three splashed through, completing the 18-4 run, the arena had tilted. Momentum was gone. So was Tech’s composure.
Florida’s bench mobbed Clayton after the buzzer sounded, while Texas Tech’s players stood frozen in place. Some dropped to their knees. Others just stared at the scoreboard, trying to process what had just occurred.
“It felt like the game flipped upside down,” said Isaacs, who finished with 22 points. “We controlled the whole game—until we didn’t. I’ll replay those last minutes in my head for a long time.”
With the win, Florida advances to its first Final Four since 2014, an improbable run that seemed unlikely a month ago. At that point, the Gators were firmly on the bubble. Now, they’re one of the last four teams standing, carried by the unlikely heroics of Clayton and a defense that clamped down when it mattered most.
They’ll meet the winner of Arizona vs. UConn in the national semifinal on Saturday.
“We just stayed in it,” Clayton said, grinning as confetti began to fall. “They were better for most of the night. But when you keep fighting, sometimes the basketball gods reward you.”
Meanwhile, Texas Tech is left to wrestle with the cruelty of March. For the better part of two hours, they had a date with destiny. Instead, they walk away with a haunting memory of how quickly dreams can dissolve.
“You don’t get a lot of shots at this,” said McCasland. “We’ll remember this one. Not because we lost. But because we were so close to something special.”
For Florida, the dance continues. For Texas Tech, heartbreak in Houston becomes a lasting echo in a season that deserved more
