Will Walter Clayton Jr. be back next season? What Florida basketball leading scorer said after March Madness loss

INDIANAPOLIS — Florida basketball was down 13 points with 5:23 remaining, searching for a spark to close the gap in crunch time against a Colorado team that scored all afternoon at will.

The Florida Gators found that spark, from starting junior starting guard Walter Clayton Jr.

Clayton Jr. scored UF's final 16 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 9.6 seconds left, in seven-seed UF's heartbreaking 102-100 Round of 64 loss to 10-seed Colorado at Gainbridge Field House.

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Overall, Clayton's 33 points were two shy of the Florida NCAA Tournament record of 35 points set by KeVaughn Allen on March 24, 2017, against Wisconsin.

"It was a tough, tough day for us defensively and you're just trying to find a way to try to persevere at the end," Clayton Jr. "I think just goes to show a lot about this team, how together, tight-knit we are just to never give up."

Clayton described UF's 2023-24 season, which ended at 24-12 and its first NCAA Tournament trip since 2021, as a stepping-stone. The question remains, will he stay to continue the building project? Clayton was non-committal immediately following the tough loss on Thursday night.

"This is a tough way to end, you don't want to end like this, especially with this group of guys," Clayton Jr. said. "Our seniors leaving, obviously you want to put Florida on the map, especially with me being from Florida."

The loss of Clayton, who entered Friday night averaging 17.1 points per game, would be another blow to a UF offense that's losing post scorer Tyrese Samuel (14.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and scoring point guard Zyon Pullin (15.6 ppg, 4.9 apg) to the pros next season.

"They came here with a goal like the rest of us to try to put Florida back on the map," Clayton Jr. said. "Those guys were great on the floor, great off the floor, great relationships, great people so obviously it's going to be tough without them next year,"

How Florida basketball guard Walter Clayton Jr. nearly brought the Gators back

Clayton began his scoring barrage with a pair of free throws that cut Colorado's lead to 94-84. A driving basket in the lane by Clayton then cut the Colorado lead to 96-90 with 2:04 left, and a 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining pulled UF within a possession, 99-96.

Florida trailed 100-97 when Clayton sank a game-tying 3-pointer with 9.6 seconds left from 22 feet.

"(The defender) just backed up a little bit, so I just pulled it," Clayton said. "I had made a couple of shots for my team, everybody was just telling me, you get an open look, take it."

Colorado coach Tad Boyle said Clayton was a tough cover all night and credited him for making some tough shots.

"They run good action for him," Boyle said. "He's got a quick release. He's got great balance on his shot. He's one of those guys that's better in person than when you watch him on film. He's a good player."