Why are the Gators favored in the Men's Final Four game against the Tigers?Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. College basketball writers explain in their picks that predict a Florida victory.

The Gators will take on Auburn on Saturday with a big in the national title game on the line; high school sports all-area teams for winter are here.

SAN FRANCISCO — Walter Clayton Jr. rescued top-seeded Florida with two late 3-pointers, and the Gators rallied from nine points down late to reach the Final Four with an 84-79 victory over Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region final on Saturday.

Walter Clayton Jr. carried the Gators in the final minutes of their Elite Eight game against Texas Tech, clinching game with a huge three-pointer.

The water got choppy, but the Florida Gators climbed back from a double-digit lead to secure their first Final Four appearance in over a decade.

Florida will play the winner of Auburn vs. Michigan in the South Region final. The Red Raiders collapsed down the stretch after leading by nine points with three minutes left in the game. A combination of the Gators' success from long range and a pair of missed free-throw attempts by Texas Tech benefited Florida.

They had to do a lot wrong for Tommy not to show up and be a Gator the next day,” Ryan Haugh, Thomas’ father, said Saturday on the Chase Center floor. “That was his lifelong dream. He bled orange and blue while the rest of Pennsylvania was bleeding blue and white.

Final Four picks, predictions, odds explain why Auburn Tigers will beat Florida Gators in NCAA Tournament March Madness game Saturday, April 5, 2025.