The legend of Walter Clayton Jr. at Florida has one final chance to continue building when the Gators take on Houston in the 2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game. Clayton's dominant March Madness run has one more chapter left in it after taking Florida to its first title game appearance since 2007.

Clayton led Florida to a Final Four victory over Auburn with a season-high 34-point performance, his second consecutive game of at least 30 points. The Gators topped the Tigers 79-73 in a neck-and-neck affair to give them their second win over Bruce Pearl's squad on the year.

Likewise, Houston advanced to the championship game with a narrow victory over Duke. However, the Cougars' victory stole most of the Final Four headlines as they battled back from a 14-point deficit to stun the Blue Devils in the final minute.

While Clayton has faced elite competition all season long in the SEC, he will match up with the nation's best defense in what will likely be the final outing of his college basketball career. Houston ranked No. 1 in the regular season by allowing just 58.5 points per game while holding opponents to the third-worst effective field goal percentage in the nation. In the Final Four, the Cougars held Duke to just 67 points, over 16 below its season average.

With Clayton proving to be inarguably the most clutch player in college basketball, the matchup against Houston's defense proves to be one worth watching. The result of the battle within the war will likely determine the 2025 national champion.

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Clayton is not the best pure scorer in college basketball, but he is easily the nation's top big-shot maker in late-game situations. Time and again, nobody is better at taking over a game late than he is. Against Houston, the Florida star will face his stiffest test of the year, but he is on the best scoring stretch of his career and does not seem stoppable, even by Kelvin Sampson's elite defense.

As good as Houston's defense is, it is still vulnerable to scorers like Clayton. The Cougars just allowed 27 points to Duke's Cooper Flagg in the Final Four and the same amount to Gonzaga's Graham Ike in the Round of 32. Clayton is a much different player than both Flagg and Ike but he will be the best point guard Houston has faced all season.

By doing most of his recent damage from behind the arc, Clayton has received numerous Stephen Curry comparisons throughout his March Madness run. He does not have the same quick release as the former Davidson star, but Clayton's ability to hit tough, contested jumpers does have a lot of Curry-like feel to it.

With the way he has looked lately, three-point shooting could be where Clayton hurts Houston. The Cougars are elite all-around but had the most struggles defending from deep. They allowed 22.3 three-point attempts per game, ranking 160th in the country. Houston's switch-heavy defense also leaves it vulnerable to pull-up threes off pick-and-roll sets, an area where Clayton thrives.

While Houston's scoring defense has been stout against guards all year, the way to beat it has proven to be by sharing the love. Many ball-dominant guards have struggled to score against the stingy backcourt but found success by facilitating. Clayton, an elite passer, has shockingly never reached the 10-assist mark, but it would fit his status quo to do so on the biggest stage.

Averaging 4.1 assists per game in 2024-2025, Clayton has reached as high as nine dimes but has yet to clear the double-digit mark. He has multiple double-doubles to his name, but none by notching 10 assists. Expecting him to finally clear the hurdle against Houston is exactly what a bold prediction entails.

In the NCAA Tournament, Houston has allowed four assists to Flagg, five to Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler, 15 to Purdue's Braden Smith and 11 to Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard. The two best facilitators the Cougars faced — Smith and Nembhard — both topped 10 assists. Clayton is not the same assist machine that either Smith or Nembhard are, but his passing is vastly overshadowed by his elite scoring ability.

With just two days to prepare for arguably the best player in college basketball, expect Houston to trap Clayton off screens. The Cougars love to switch on screens and fly to the ball, leaving shooters open on the perimeter. Flanked by Alijah Martin, Will Richard, Denzel Aberdeen and Thomas Haugh on the perimeter, Clayton will not have a shortage of options to kick out to.

In addition to reaching the 10-assist mark, Clayton will also reach double digits on the glass, giving him his first career triple-double. All he has done lately is continue to stack career performances on top of each other, and there would be no better way to end his Florida career.

Houston's slow-paced offensive game does not typically allow for many rebound chances, ceding just 31.4 per game to opponents. Yet, while its interior focus limits opportunities for opposing big men, it can open up opportunities for guards. Duke's Kon Knueppel grabbed seven rebounds in the Final Four and Tennessee's Chaz Lanier also managed seven in the Elite Eight. Before that, Gonzaga's Khalif Battle managed six rebounds.

With a career-high of 12 rebounds, Clayton is capable of putting up big rebound numbers. Despite measuring in at just 6-foot-3, his physicality and athleticism allow him to compete amongst the trees. Houston is not known for attempting a ton of three-pointers, but the bright lights can force teams to get out of their comfort zones. Long rebounds would benefit guards on the glass.

Not exactly a bold prediction, but if everything goes according to plan for Clayton, Florida will hoist the trophy at the end of the night. At this point, it seems only fitting for Clayton, the hero of the tournament, to end March Madness with another iconic performance in the National Championship Game.

If the Gators are going to win another national title, it will have to be on the back of Clayton. Florida is favored entering the game, but Houston's defense will be a tricky puzzle to solve. Still, had Duke taken care of business, the Cougars should realistically not even be in this position. A veteran team like Todd Golden's squad will not fall apart down the stretch the same way.

Another legendary performance from Clayton in the National Championship Game would put him on par with any other player in program history. He has only been in Gainesville for two seasons, but the impact of his two-year stretch can only be rivaled by school icons such as Joakim Noah and Al Horford, who spear-headed the Gators' back-to-back championship teams in 2006 and 2007.