Florida defeats Auburn 79-73, advances to national title game

The first ticket to the national title game has been punched. No. 1 seed Florida defeated No. 1 overall seed Auburn 79-73 in the first national semifinal game of the evening from San Antonio to advance to Monday's national championship game. The Gators will face No. 1 seed Duke or No. 1 seed Houston for all the marbles.

Florida will be making its first title game appearance since 2007. The last non-Kentucky team from the SEC to win the title was that Florida team in 2007.

Florida All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. had a performance to remember in the win over Auburn. Clayton scored a game-high 34 points, and his steady shot-making helped the Gators erase a nine-point deficit in the early minutes of the second half. Clayton is the first player to score at least 30 points in the Elite Eight and national semifinals during the same NCAA Tournament since Indiana State's Larry Bird in 1979.

Clayton's backcourt mate, Alijah Martin, also played a crucial role in Florida's monumental win. Martin became the first player in college basketball history to start a Final Four game with two different programs and finished with 17 points.

The loss marks the end of the road for Auburn. Auburn big man Johni Broome scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half but was quiet after halftime. Broome scored only three points after intermission. Auburn was making its second Final Four appearance in program history and will fall one game short of playing for the national title.