Florida took on Houston in the 2025 national championship game on Monday night, and many expected a banner night for senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who had been on fire all tournament. That wasn't the case early on.
Clayton can do a little bit of everything on the court, and many fans joked he never met a shot he didn't love. Clayton's confidence was often a strong suit of his, but it can cause him to launch shots from weird angles. Still, when the Gators guard gets hot, he's one of the best shooters in college basketball.
Unfortunately for Florida, Clayton's kryptonite looked like it was the Houston defense. Clayton couldn't figure out the Cougars in the first half of Monday's national game, disappearing from the box score in the first half before becoming a key part of Florida's second-half comeback in the 65-63 win.
Here's a breakdown of Clayton's performance in the national championship.
Follow AllSportsPeople on WhatsApp
Walter Clayton Jr. Points today
Clayton Jr. Finished the first half with 0 points. He was 0-4 from the field and 0-4 from three. Clayton also didn't attempt any free throws in the first half.
However, that didn't stop him from stepping up in the second half. He finished with 11 points, scoring all of them after the break. Clayton was 3-10 from the field and 1-7 from beyond the arc, but he hit all four of his free throw attempts. Clayton also finished with seven assists and five rebounds.
Walter Clayton Jr. 2025 NCAA Tournament stats
Here are Clayton's stats from the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
| Round | Opponent | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| First | Norfolk St. | 29 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 54.5% | 44.4% | 87.5% |
| Second | UConn | 36 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 42.9% | 62.5% | 85.7% |
| Sweet Sixteen | Maryland | 32 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 83.3% |
| Elite Eight | Texas Tech | 35 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 50.0% | 37.5% | 92.9% |
| Final Four | Auburn | 35 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 61.1% | 62.5% | 100% |
| Championship | Houston | 17 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Walter Clayton Jr. Age
Clayton Jr. Was born on March 6, 2003, and is 22. He has played college basketball for four years and is expected to be drafted in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
MORE FLORIDA-HOUSTON:
- SEC, Walter Clayton Jr., refs among winners & losers of title game
- Where Florida's 12-point comeback ranks among biggest in title game history
- Explaining furious final play that doomed Houston
- Kelvin Sampson calls final sequence 'incomprehensible' in postgame interview
- Why Walter Clayton Jr. Won Final Four's 'Most Outstanding Player'
- Refs take over championship game with second-half foul calls
- Kelvin Sampson's 'Sasquatch State' in-game interview goes viral
- Walter Clayton Jr. Shouts out 'mama', poses with daughter after title
- Watch 2025 'One Shining Moment' video
Walter Clayton Jr. Career stats
Clayton Jr. Started his college career at Iona. After two seasons he transferred to Florida. Here are Clayton's per-game career stats.
| Season | Team | Games | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| 2021-2022 | Iona | 32 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 43.4% | 35.7% | 78.7% |
| 2022-2023 | Iona | 32 | 16.8 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 45.5% | 43.1% | 95.3% |
| 2023-2024 | Florida | 36 | 17.6 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 43.2% | 36.5% | 87.7% |
| 2024-2025 | Florida | 36 | 18.5 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 45.1% | 39.2% | 87.1% |
| Total | 2 Schools | 138 | 15.3 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 44.4% | 38.8% | 87.8% |