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Walter Clayton was a deserving Most Outstanding Player, but Will Richard was Florida’s championship game MVP
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SAN ANTONIO – Walter Clayton Jr. was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player on Monday.
As he should have been.
Florida wouldn’t have even been in the national championship game, let alone win the title, without its star guard.
Clayton rescued the Gators from almost certain second-round elimination with a late flurry to beat UConn. Then again with an even more dramatic comeback in the Elite Eight against Texas Tech before taking down SEC rival Auburn with a 34-point performance for the ages in Saturday’s national semifinal.
Clayton’s shoulders were strong enough to carry his team to the precipice of a championship. But they finally gave in under the weight of expectation and Houston’s suffocating defense.
Good thing teammate Will Richard was there to pick him and Florida up when both needed the lift.
While Clayton was being held without a point for the first 25 minutes and without a field goal for the first 32:15, Richard kept the Gators within hailing distance of the gritty Cougars. He scored 14 of his 18 points and made all 4 of Florida’s 3-pointers in the first half, then added 4 clutch free throws down the stretch while recording a steal to preserve a 1-point lead with 26 seconds to go.
Clayton may have the clear choice as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, but Richard was by far the most valuable player in the Gators’ 65-63 championship-clinching victory at Alamodome.
“We have multiple guys on this team that can go. Tonight was one of those nights with Will,” said Clayton who still managed to make an impact by heating up late and finishing with 11 points. “He showed it multiple times this year. You never know whose night it’s going to be and we showed that as a team.”
Richard, a 6-4 senior who has played the past 3 seasons at Florida after starting at Belmont, has been a key contributor throughout the season. He’s averaged 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
But he’s taken a back seat to backcourt mates Clayton and Alijah Martin in the NCAA Tournament by going just 1-for-6 from the floor against Auburn and 2-for-6 against Texas Tech, and missing all 5 of his 3-point attempts in the Elite Eight and national semifinal wins.
Maybe he was just saving his buckets for when his team needed them?
And, man, did the Gators need them on Monday.
With Clayton and Martin being blanketed by the Cougars’ nation’s best defense, combining to make only 2 of their 13 attempts from beyond the arc, Richard didn’t have to be told that it was go-time.
Instinct kicked in and he almost singlehandedly kept his team within striking distance until it could manufacture what has become its trademark second-half tournament comeback. Not only did he lead Florida in scoring, he also had the most rebounds with 8 to go along with 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
It’s fitting that Richard played such a key role in Saturday’s championship victory. He was the first player to commit to Todd Golden after the coach arrived from San Francisco in 2022.
“I was just trying to make plays to help us stay in the game, help us give ourselves the best chance to win,” Richard said. “They were guarding Walter and other guys pretty hard. Walter still had 7 assists. Even when they were guarding him so hard, I feel like he made plays to help the team win. It was just a good job by the team staying aggressive throughout that.”
Being down by as many as 12 in the second half against a team built around its defensive prowess – a team that had just beat Duke 2 nights earlier – might have been a losing proposition for most teams.
Not the Gators.
They trailed with 3 minutes or less on the clock in 3 of their 5 previous tournament games and somehow found ways to win. While Clayton and Denzel Aberdeen did most of the heavy lifting with this comeback, Richard did his part as well by hitting 4 clutch free throws down the stretch.
It took until the final 46 seconds for Florida to finally take the lead – its first since the score was 8-6 just before the first TV timeout.
“Pulling out those (previous) games definitely gives you confidence,” Richard said. “It’s a testament to who we are as a team. I feel like we’re going to fight until the end and do whatever it takes to give ourselves a chance to win.”
No matter who ends up getting to take home the Most Outstanding Player trophy.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
