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NCAA Final Four: Clayton-led Florida roars from behind to beat Auburn

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Walter Clayton Jr. Florida beat Auburn 79-73 in Saturday's first semifinal in the Final Four at the Alamodome on Saturday, April 5, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Walter Clayton Jr. (1) continued his NCAA tournament heroics Saturday with 34 points in a 79-73 victory over the Auburn Tigers in the Final Four. It was Clayton’s second straight tournament game of 30 or more. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored 20 of his 34 points in the second half, leading the Florida Gators to a 79-73 victory over the Auburn Tigers in the opening game of the NCAA Final Four on Saturday at the Alamodome.

Flashing moves that could translate to a lucrative career in the NBA, Clayton hit 11 of 18 shots from the field and five of eight from beyond the 3-point arc. In the second half, he knocked down six field goals, including three from distance.

Johni Broome, Auburn

Auburn All-American forward Johni Broome scored 15 points, but was held to only three in the second half. — Photo by Joe Alexander

As a result, the Gators (35-4) won their 11th straight game and moved into the NCAA tournament finals on Monday. Seeking the third championship in school history, they’ll play either the Houston Cougars or the Duke Blue Devils.

The Cougars, champions from the Big 12, will meet the Atlantic Coast Conference titlist Blue Devils later Saturday night.

Rallying to overcome a nine-point, second-half deficit, the Gators sent home the Tigers (32-6) in a battle of Southeastern Conference powers. Chad Baker-Mazara scored 18 points to lead the Tigers.

All-American Johni Broome finished with 15 points, but was held to only three in the second half.

A key sequence for Florida came early in the second half when the Gators constructed an 11-0 run to take a 51-49 lead. Highlights included three-point buckets by Clayton and guard Alijah Martin, followed by a Clayton baseline drive.

Martin, a transfer from Florida Atlantic University, scored 17 points in the victory.

First half

Trailing by one point midway through the first half, the Auburn Tigers turned it on. They outscored the Florida Gators 24-15 in the last 10 minutes to take a 46-38 lead into intermission.

Tigers guards Denver Jones and Miles Kelly ignited the run. First, Jones drove into the paint and scored. Kelly followed with his own drive through traffic and a layup, and then a three.

Freshman Tahaad Pettiford, one of Auburn’s standouts in the tournament, took it inside for a bucket and then knocked down three free throws after he was fouled outside the arc.

When Broome wheeled inside to score at 2:52, the Tigers had opened a 38-29 advantage. The Gators never got closer than six the rest of the say.

Broome, who tweaked a knee and an elbow last Sunday against Michigan State, didn’t practice for a few days earlier this week. But he didn’t seem bothered at all bothered, as the 6-10 forward had 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks in the half.

Also for the Tigers, Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara scored eight points apiece, and both knocked down a couple of threes. The Auburn backcourt of Denver Jones, Kelly and Baker-Mazara was also solid in subtle ways. They orchestrated an offense that turned it over only one time.

Meanwhile, the Tigers went to work inside, outscoring the Gators 26-14 in the paint.

All-American Walter Clayton Jr. had the hot hand for Florida, scoring inside and outside and finishing the half with 14 points. He hit five of nine afield and two of four from beyond the arc. Guard Alijah Martin also scored 10.

Florida big men weren’t much of a factor. Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten combined for eight points.

Records

Florida 35-4
Auburn 32-6

Coming up

Houston vs. Duke, NCAA semifinal, later tonight

Notable

Clayton scored 17 of his 30 points late in the second half last Saturday as the Gators rallied past the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Elite Eight at San Francisco.

Quotable

“I thought Auburn played great in the first half,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “We did some nice things, but we did not have an answer for their physicality in the paint. I think they were 13 of 18 from two. Our game plan, we weren’t executing it very well and it wasn’t working very well.

“The main message at halftime was, ‘We have to get back to doing what we do,’ in a positive way … I thought we did a great job in the second half defending and rebounding. We ended up plus nine on the glass. We were down one at halftime …

“We started getting out in transition a little bit, seeing the ball go through the basket. We obviously played a really, really good second half. I think it starts with our perimeter. Walt, Will (Richard) and Alijah, three senior leaders, guys who have been through the fire.”

Starters

Starters for Florida: Walter Clayton, Jr., Will Richard, Rueben Chinyelu, Alijah Martin, Alex Condon. For Auburn: Denver Jones, Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly, Dylan Cardwell.

Alijah Martin, Florida

High-flying Florida guard Alijah Martin takes it to the basket against Auburn in the Final Four. Martin, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, scored 17 points and hit two three-pointers. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Final Four teams at a glance: Florida, Auburn, Houston, Duke

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L.J. Cryer. Houston Cougars at the 2005 NCAA Final Four for a public practice and media session on Friday, April 4, 2025, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. - Photo by Joe Alexander

L.J. Cryer leads the Houston Cougars into the Final Four looking for the program’s first national championship. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The NCAA Final Four starts Saturday at the Alamodome with Florida playing Auburn at 5:09 p.m. and Houston meeting Duke at approximately 7:49 p.m. Here are the teams at a glance:

Florida

Road to San Antonio: The top seed in the West defeated Norfolk State, 95-69; UConn, 77-75; Maryland, 87-71; Texas Tech, 84-79

Record: 34-4

Winning streak: 10

Extended streak: 16-1 in last 17

Coach: Todd Golden, sixth year, 131-69 overall and 74-33 in three years at Florida.

Starters: Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Alijah Martin

Seasoned veteran: Clayton, a first-team Associated Press All American and an All SEC pick, has played 137 games in his college career, including 64 at Iona and 73 at Florida

Most productive player: Clayton averages 18.1 points and shoots 38.5 percent from three.

Top newcomer out of the portal: Alijah Martin has averaged 14.5 points.

Top freshman: Freshmen have had a minimal impact on the Gators. Guard Isaiah Brown from Orlando has played in 19 games.

The journey and the goal: The Gators, in their third season under Golden, started to peak in Nashville a few weeks ago when they won the SEC tournament. Now they’re looking to win their first NCAA title since they went back to back in 2006 and 2007.

Auburn Tigers

Road to San Antonio: The top seed in the South defeated Alabama State, 83-63; Creighton, 82-70; Michigan, 78-65; Michigan State, 70-64.

Record: 32-5

Winning streak: Four

Extended streak: 5-3 in last eight

Coach: Bruce Pearl, 694-269 in 30 seasons, including 232-124 in 11 seasons at Auburn.

Starters: Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelley, Denver Jones.

Most productive player: Forward/center Johni Broome, a first-team AP All American, averages 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds. NCAA South Regional MVP after averaging 23.5 points and 15 rebounds in victories over Michigan and Michigan State.

Seasoned veteran: Forward Dylan Cardwell has played in 165 games in five seasons for Auburn.

Top newcomer out of the portal: Guard Denver Jones made the SEC all defense team. He’s scored 51 points in four NCAA games.

Top freshman: Tahaad Pettiford, a 6-1 freshman guard from Jesey City, N.J., averages 11.7 points off the bench. Has scored 69 points in four NCAA games, including 23 against Creighton and 20 against Michigan.

The journey and the goal: Ranked 11th nationally in the preseason, the Tigers won the SEC regular-season crown and entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. They’re in their second Final Four after making it in 2019, also under Bruce Pearl. Both the coach and the program have never won the national title, so Pearl will be looking to make history this weekend.

Houston Cougars

Road to San Antonio: The top seed in the Midwest defeated SIU-Edwardsville, 78-40; Gonzaga, 81-76; Purdue, 62-60 and Tennessee 69-50.

Record: 34-4

Streak: Won 17 in a row

Extended streak: 30-1 in last 31

Coach: Kelvin Sampson, 36th year, 798-353; 11th year at Houston, 298-83.

Starters: G Milos Uzan, G L.J. Cryer, G Emanuel Sharp, F J’Wan Roberts, F Joseph Tugler.

Most productive player: L.J. Cryer, a 6-1 guard, made AP third-team All America after leading the Cougars in scoring at 15.4 points per game. He shoots 41.9 percent from three. Cryer played limited minutes as a freshman when the Baylor Bears won the 2020-21 national title.

Seasoned veteran: Forward J’Wan Roberts has played in a school-record 171 games in the last five seasons for the Cougars.

Top newcomer out of the portal: Milos Uzan, a transfer from Oklahoma, has averaged 11.6 points and 4.4 assists. He scored 22 against Purdue in the Sweet 16.

Top freshman: Not much impact from freshmen. Mercy Miller has played only 22 games and has averaged 2.7 points.

The journey and the goal: The Cougars won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament title en route their second Final Four in the last five years (both under Sampson) and their seventh overall. Both Sampson and the Cougars are looking for their first national title.

Duke Blue Devils

Road to San Antonio: The top seed in the East defeated Mount St. Mary’s, 93-49; Baylor, 89-66; Arizona 100-93 and Alabama, 85-65.

Record: 35-3

Streak: Won 15 in a row

Extended streak: 31-1 in last 32

Coach: Jon Scheyer, third year, 89-21, all at Duke.

Starters: G Sion James, G Tyrese Proctor, G/F Kon Knueppel, G/F Cooper Flagg, C Khaman Maluach.

Most productive player: Freshman forward Cooper Flagg averages 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the season. The 18-year-old Associated Press player of the year is averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the NCAA tournament.

Top newcomer out of the portal: Guard Sion James, an offseason transfer from Tulane, shoots 52.4 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three. He averages 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Top freshman: Other than Flagg, the Blue Devils’ top freshman is guard/forward Kon Knueppel, who averages 14.4 points. He’s a 47.7 percent shooter, including 40.1 percent from three.

The journey and the goal: The Blue Devils won the ACC regular-season and postseason titles en route to a No. 1 seed in the East. After Flagg sat out two games in the ACC tournament with an ankle injury, he returned and led the Blue Devils to their 18th Final Four appearance. Duke is trying to win its first NCAA championship since 2014-15 and its sixth overall.

In a potentially epic Final Four Saturday, don’t count out the ‘old guys’ coaching at Houston, Auburn

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Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. No. 5 seed Houston upset No. 1 seed Arizona 72-60 in the NCAA tournament South Region Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the AT&T Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Kelvin Sampson has won 798 games in 36 seasons as a head coach. He’s looking for his first national championship this weekend at the Alamodome. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Since last weekend, everyone in the basketball universe has known of the potential for an epic NCAA Final Four.

The qualifiers include the Florida Gators from the West region and the Duke Blue Devils from the East, and then the Houston Cougars from the Midwest and the Auburn Tigers from the South.

Since last Sunday, when the field was set, the statistics have been crunched, the talent evaluated and the odds posted. Who shoots the three ball the best? Who plays the best defense? How do they play it?

The Final Four, featuring a mixture of four No. 1 seeds for the second time ever and the first time since 2008, has been analyzed seemingly every which way.

So on Thursday, it was funny to hear a reporter at an afternoon news conference break it down in another way.

Basically, he said, when it comes down to the head coaches involved, the Final Four may be viewed as “two old guys” against “two young guys.”

In the first game Saturday at the Alamodome, it’ll be Pearl, 65, sending his Tigers out to play Todd Golden’s Gators in a battle of Southeastern Conference powers.

In the nightcap, we’ll see 69-year-old Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars, representing the Big 12, against Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

As the reporter rolled out his question, he asked Pearl, who was seated at the dais, “You and Kelvin have been through adversity, all these things in your career. How much difference does that make?”

Also, the reporter asked Pearl to comment on a trend by schools to hire 30-something coaches like Golden and Scheyer into jobs at high-profile schools.

As the question was being asked, Pearl started to grin. You could tell he liked it. When it was delivered in full, the coach was still smiling as he delivered the type of answer that has made him so popular over the years.

“You know,” Pearl began, “the only way I look at it is, Kelvin and I have fewer chances to get to where we are right now (in the future), whereas Jon Scheyer and Todd Golden will be back here many, many more times.

“Kelvin and I better take advantage of it this time ‘cause we’re clearly on the back nine. I’m not on the 18th hole yet, but we’re getting closer.

“Todd and Jon don’t give up anything in experience … They just don’t have as much gray hair. They may not have been beaten down as much as Kelvin and I have been over the years.”

For the record, Pearl, in his 30th season as a head coach, has won 694 games. He’s led his teams into 14 NCAA tournaments — including six NCAAs and two Final Fours — in eight years as head coach of the Tigers.

Sampson, in turn, has won 798 games in 36 seasons. In Houston, he has re-energized a fan base, taking the Cougars on seven trips to the NCAA dance.

In his storied career, which started at tiny Montana Tech, he has been to two Final Fours, one with Oklahoma in 2002 and another with Houston in 2021.

Like Pearl, Sampson seemed amused by the topic of the day.

“There’s kind of a divide in this Final Four,” the reporter said. “You got you and Bruce Pearl, then you got two guys that are young enough to be your sons.”

Replied Sampson, smiling, “Thank you. Appreciate that. I hadn’t quite looked at it like that. But I will now.”

At that point, Sampson was told that he and Pearl had negotiated “difficult waters” in their respective careers.

For reference, Pearl and Sampson have both been found to have run afoul of the NCAA rule book, and both have been fired. Pearl, by the University of Tennessee. Sampson, by Indiana University.

But both, undeniably, are on the bounce back.

Both are ascending in stature even as the college game turns to coaches like Golden (131-69 in six years, including three at San Francisco) and Scheyer (89-21 in three, all at Duke).

Both Golden and Scheyer hold their Final Four coaching counterparts in high regard. Golden once worked on Pearl’s Auburn staff for a couple of years.

Scheyer said he elected before his first season as head coach to play a scrimmage with Sampson and Houston, just after he had taken the reins from Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski. He did it because he’s always admired UH’s defensive tenacity and toughness.

Also, Scheyer said he and Sampson texted back and forth that year. It’s clear he holds Sampson in high regard, and from Thursday’s news conference, it was easy to see why.

Sampson has a disarming charm about him. Just listen to him talk.

“Well.” Sampson continued on Thursday, “I coached against my son, (UH assistant coach) Kellen (Sampson), in scrimmages all the time. He’s always kicking my butt. So I’m used to being beat by younger guys.”

He said the move by some schools to hire young talent in coaching is “great for the game, ‘cause the game should always be about the future.”

In making his point, Sampson expressed some dismay at how fans talk about Houston’s teams in the 1960s and the 1980s.

In the ‘80s, former coach Guy V. Lewis led the Cougars to three straight Final Fours with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and “Phi Slama Jama.”

“I’m thinking none of the kids that I’m recruiting, nor their parents, have ever heard of that,” he said. “That’s the past. Honor it. Let’s honor those guys. But for God’s sake, don’t live in the past.

“When I look at Todd (and) Jon, it makes me feel good about the future of the game. I still think Bruce has got a lot of good years left. He’s a youngster. He’s only 65. Maybe not for this old one.”

Sampson said basketball is in “good hands” with the younger coaches, who are better equipped “to navigate these choppy waters.” He also mentioned how he relies on his assistants.

From his son, to Quannas White, to Hollis Price and K.C. Beard. He said he encourages them to call their peers in the profession and ask about how they’re handling the changing business model of college sports.

“I didn’t know anything about NIL,” he said. “I used to think it was sacrilege if you transferred inside your own league. That would never have happened (years ago.) Now it’s just a different time.”

For college basketball fans, it’s also an exciting time, thanks to two “old guys” who can still coach and hope to prove it again on Saturday night.

Playing in a second Final Four with a different team? Florida’s Martin has enjoyed the ride

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

When Alijah Martin played for the Florida Atlantic University Owls, he always seemed to be at his best when he suited up against the UTSA Roadrunners.

In addition, FAU won all four meetings between the two teams in a three-year period through the 2023-24 season, including three games contested in San Antonio.

“You played here (in San Antonio)?” one of Martin’s teammates on the Florida Gators asked Thursday morning.

Did he ever.

Martin, as an FAU freshman, produced 16 points and 9 rebounds as the Owls won 73-64 at the UTSA Convocation Center in 2022. A year later, he had 11 points and 7 boards as nationally-ranked FAU rolled, 83-64.

In January 2024, a wild, high-scoring affair tipped into overtime, and he scored 26 points in a 112-103 victory for the Owls. He also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

In a video shot by The JB Replay (see above), he’s throwing down a pretty salty dunk at the Convocation Center during the 2022-23 season.

“Is that one where I was coming down the middle?” Martin asked when I showed it to him on my phone. “Oh, yeah, I remember that one.”

Of course, that was the year that FAU shocked the world and made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four.

Meaning that, the starting guard for the Florida Gators is a Final Four veteran leading into Saturday afternoon’s national semifinal against Auburn at the Alamodome.

“It’s definitely unbelievable to be here, in this moment,” he said. “Blessed.”

Oddly, the kid from Summit, Miss., who attended a previously non-descript school in Boca Raton, Fla., is the one in the Gators’ locker room with a Final Four history.

It’s in the record books that he scored 26 points for the Owls in a 72-71 semifinal loss to San Diego State two years ago at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Martin is now the guy in the Gators’ locker room imparting wisdom to his teammates, about what it’s like to be in a Final Four.

“I’ve been telling the guys what’s ahead,” he said, “what they can look for.”

In another twist, Martin is not the only player on a roster this weekend with previous Final Four experience on a different team. Two others are Houston guard LJ Cryer and Duke forward Mason Gillis.

Cryer, as a collegiate freshman, had a limited role in the last two games of Baylor’s 2021 national title season in Indianapolis.

With the tournament contested in a “controlled environment” during the pandemic, Cryer played two minutes in a semifinal victory over Houston. He played one minute in the championship game victory against Houston.

Gillis, for his part, played in the semifinals and finals last season for the Purdue Boilermakers.

This time last year, the Boilermakers reached the NCAA finals in Glendale, Ariz., where they lost to the Connecticut Huskies.

Gillis, who snared four rebounds in 24 minutes in the title match, acknowledged that it’s a special feeling making the trip with his new team as they prepare to face the Houston Cougars in Saturday’s late game.

“It’s a blessing, for sure,” he said. “So we just got to finish the job this year.”

Martin, Cryer and Gillis will join Steve Krafcisin (North Carolina, 1977, and Iowa, 1980) and Bob Bender (Indiana, 1976, and Duke, 1978) as the only oplayers to reach the pinnacle of the Big Dance with different teams.

Florida and Auburn will tip off at 5:09 p.m. on Saturday, followed by Houston and Duke in the nightcap. The championship game is set for Monday night, with tipoff at 7:50 p.m.

This year’s Final Four is unique in a few different ways. It’s the second in history and the first since 2008, when Kansas beat Memphis for the title at the Alamodome, that four No. 1 seeds have congregated to play for the national title.

It’s also the first in some 45 seasons that two players — Martin and Gillis — are in the national semifinals after experiencing the thrill of the moment previously with another team. Martin’s story is even more remarkable.

For his first two seasons, he started out at FAU playing in a small home arena in Boca Raton, Fla., and in modest venues all around Conference USA. Also, in 2023-24, in the American Athletic Conference.

One of those arenas was in San Antonio, where 1,500 or so would turn out to watch.

Now he’s preparing to play in the same city a year later, in a downtown venue that will be filled with about 68,000 people, in his second Final Four in three years. And for his second college team, the Gators, of the mighty Southeastern Conference.

“It’s crazy,” Martin said.

And, so, what is the lesson learned in his hoops journey?

“You got to stick with it,” Martin said. “Basketball can take you places, man, where you never thought you could be.”

2025 NCAA Final Four
At the Alamodome

Friday’s open practices

Florida: 11 – 11:50 a.m.
Auburn: 12 – 12:50 p.m.
Houston: 1 – 1:50 p.m.
Duke: 2 – 2:50 p.m.

Saturday’s semifinals

Florida vs. Auburn, 5:09 p.m.
Duke vs. Houston, 40 minutes after the end of the first game

Monday’s finals

Saturday’s winners tip off at 7:50 p.m. for the NCAA championship

Alijah Martin of Florida Atlantic men's basketball playing against UTSA on Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Alijah Martin of Florida Atlantic men’s basketball playing against UTSA on Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Baseball: TCU scores in the ninth to beat UTSA, 5-4

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Cole Cramer’s one-out sacrifice fly to right field scored Jack Arthur from third base in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night, lifting the TCU Horned Frogs to a 5-4 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in Fort Worth.

TCU righthander Cohen Feser (1-0) from San Antonio earned the victory with three innings of scoreless relief. In the top of the ninth, Feser retired three straight batters to give the Horned Frogs a chance to win it in their last at bat.

On the third out of the inning, UTSA’s Mason Lytle hit it hard to left field, but the ball was knocked down by the wind and caught just inside the warning track.

The Horned Frogs opened the bottom half against a new pitcher, Zach Royse, UTSA’s regular Friday night starter. Karson Bowen led off with a drive to right that got over the head of outfielder James Taussig for a double.

After Arthur entered the game as a pinch runner, Royse struck out Isaac Cadena for the first out.

Then, with Cramer at the plate, Royse appeared to surprise UTSA catcher Andrew Stucky with his location on a pitch that caromed off Stucky’s mitt for a passed ball, allowing Arthur to take third.

Cramer followed by sending a fly ball to deep right that allowed Arthur to score, ending the Roadrunners’ six-game winning streak.

For UTSA, it was a missed opportunity in its effort to win road games this season at Texas A&M, Texas and TCU. The Horned Frogs entered the night rated 33rd on the RPI, with UTSA at No. 41, a season-high.

The Roadrunners’ offense wasn’t great. Horned Frogs pitching held them to eight hits, all singles. But UTSA pitching for the most part threw the ball well, save for five walks that gave the Horned Frogs too many chances.

Six hurlers, including Gunnar Brown, Jake Cothran, Connor Kelley, Christian Okerholm, Robert Orloski and Royse, held the Frogs to 10 hits. Royse (2-4) took the loss.

TCU used six pitchers, as well, including Trever Baumler, San Antonio’s Mason Bixby, Kaden Smith, Zack James, Gianluca Shinn and Feser, a 6-foot-2 redshirt junior from Reagan High School.

Bixby, a 6-7 sophomore from Johnson, pitched two innings and allowed one run on two hits. TCU shortstop Anthony Silva, a junior from Clark, went one for three at the plate and scored a run. He had four infield assists, a key putout and a throwing error.

Bowen and Cadena both went two for five for the Horned Frogs. Cadena slammed a solo homer and a double.

For UTSA, Norris McClure had three of UTSA’s eight hits. The transfer from Division II Spring Hill College in Alabama went three for four and scored a run.

After TCU opened the scoring with three runs in the second, the Roadrunners got one back in the third and then scored three in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.

During the uprising, UTSA had runners at first and second with nobody out when Bowen, TCU’s catcher, fired to second to pick off McClure. It appeared that McClure beat the initial tag attempt by Silva, only to be tagged again when his momentum carried him off the bag.

Without the perfect throw from Bowen and the heads-up tag by Silva, the Roadrunners might have scored more than three runs and could have had a multiple-run lead.

Instead, the Roadrunners had to settle for the one-run margin going into the bottom of the fifth, and that is when Cadena greeted Kelley with a leadoff shot to right that carried well over the wall, tying the score, 4-4.

Records

UTSA 23-8
TCU 22-8

Coming up

UTSA at UAB, Friday, 5 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Saturday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Baseball: Fast-rising UTSA ready for another challenge at TCU

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Jordan Ballin.

Jordan Ballin has emerged as one of three freshmen, along with Caden Miller and Nathan Hodge, to make a significant impact on a UTSA team that has started 23-7 with victories over Texas A&M and Texas. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With a 23-7 record, the UTSA Roadrunners have established arguably the best 30-game start in Coach Pat Hallmark’s six years with the program.

After winning on the road at Texas A&M and Texas and starting 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference, they’ll try to add to their body of work tonight when they play a midweek game in Fort Worth against the 21-8 TCU Horned Frogs of the Big 12.

“We’re resilient and persistent, two things we try to be,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “So we’re prepared, but that doesn’t guarantee you anything. TCU is really good. Kirk Saarloos is a terrific coach. He’s been doing this a long time. He knows what he’s doing.”

The Horned Frogs have started to click with seven wins in their last nine games, including a non-conference road victory at 15th-ranked Dallas Baptist, and a pair of 2-1 Big 12 road series victories over Texas Tech and Houston.

In the most recent ratings percentage index, TCU will enter the game tonight at No. 33 nationally. UTSA is not far behind, slotted in at No. 41, which represents a 30-spot jump from last week.

The Roadrunners made the jump after two straight strong weekends of play in the American. From March 21-23, they won two of three at Charlotte.

Last weekend, they played at home and beat the FAU Owls three straight, coming from behind in each of the victories.

“We can get better on defense, certainly, but (we’re) pleased with the way we played,” Hallmark said.

In the Horned Frogs, the Roadrunners will be facing a midweek challenge that is likely every bit as tough as the Aggies or the Longhorns. TCU is 7-0 in midweek games this season and is 14-0 in midweek home games dating back to 2023.

“Their arms will be really good,” Hallmark said. “They’ll have as good of pitching as anyone we’ve faced. But we’ll be ready. I think we’ll be prepared.”

The Roadrunners are starting to play so well that some have drawn comparisons to Hallmark’s standout teams in 2022 and 2023. Both years, UTSA won 38 games, one win shy of the school record.

In 2022, the Roadrunners rolled out a 30-game start of 19-11, which included a home win over second-ranked Stanford and a road victory at TCU. In 2023, they started 23-7, with the best wins in non-conference coming at home over Houston and on the road at Baylor.

The ’22 team was an offensive juggernaut powered by Leyton Barry, Chase Keng and Ryan Flores. The Roadrunners had nine players batting .300 or better. Luke Malone, who went 9-3 and finished with a 2.67 earned run average, paced a deep pitching staff.

At the end of the season, they got hot and nearly won the Conference USA tournament, beating nationally-ranked Southern Miss twice on its home field before losing in the title game to Louisiana Tech.

In 2023, the Roadrunners had seven players hitting .300 or better, led by Antonio Valdez at .387. Moreover, they also hit 78 home runs.

Paced by Malone and ace reliever Simon Miller, the ’23 team hit its stride late in the C-USA regular season, moving into the Top 25 of multiple national polls in March and early April.

After finishing second in the C-USA at 21-8, the Roadrunners were ousted from the double-elimination tournament after two games. Neither team, in either 2022 or 2023, received an NCAA at-large bid.

This season, the Roadrunners have five regulars batting .300 or better, led by Mason Lytle’s .391. Lytle ranks eighth in NCAA Division I with 50 hits. Newcomer Drew Detlefsen ranks among national leaders in home runs (eight) and RBI (48).

Pitching, perhaps deeper than it has been in previous years, is anchored by starters Zach Royse, Braylon Owens and Conor Myles. Robert Orloski is 7-0 with one save out of the bullpen.

Hallmark said he hasn’t thought much about how his two 38-win teams might compare to this one except to say that a few years ago the Roadrunners were led by older, mature leaders such as Jonathan Tapia, Ian Bailey and Chase Keng (in 2022) and Luke Malone (in 2022 and 2023).

The current team’s level of maturity is similar, the coach said, even though it relies heavily on freshmen such as Jordan Ballin, Caden Miller and Nathan Hodge.

“Athletically,” he said, “I think we might be a tick more athletic this year. We have a good combination of physical kids that can really move pretty good, which you don’t always see at a mid major.

“Then I think our pitching may be similar, with older, more experienced pitchers,” he said. “Guys like Luke Malone were the leaders of those (previous) teams.

“Braylon Owens is one of our leaders (this year). He’s older. He’s been around. So, some similarities in the pitching, (with) strike throwers.”

Records

UTSA 23-7
TCU 21-8

Coming up

UTSA at TCU, tonight, 6 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Friday, 5 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Saturday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Sunday, 1 p.m.

A Final Four with four No. 1 seeds: Auburn, Florida, Duke and Houston

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NCAA Final Four
At the Alamodome

Saturday’s schedule
(NCAA semifinals)
Florida vs. Auburn, 5:09 p.m.
Duke vs Houston, 7:39 p.m.

Monday (April 7)
NCAA finals, TBD

Final Four glance
Auburn 32-5
Florida 34-4
Duke 35-3
Houston 34-4

(All four are No. 1 seeds — Auburn from the South region, Florida from the West, Duke from the East and Houston from the Midwest. It’s only the second time in Final Four history that four No. 1 seeds will play in the national semifinals. Both times, in downtown San Antonio. The other was in 2008, when the field included Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA. That year, Kansas beat Memphis for the title.)

Baseball: UTSA wins 7-6 to sweep three from Florida Atlantic

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA scored two runs in the seventh and one in the ninth Sunday to beat the Florida Atlantic University Owls, 7-6, sweeping a three-game series in the American Athletic Conference at Roadrunner Field.

Pat Hallmark.

Coach Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners improved to 23-7 overall and 5-1 in conference with a three-game sweep of the FAU Owls. – File photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig, who was celebrating his birthday, accounted for the last three UTSA runs. In the seventh, he delivered with a two-out, two-run double to right.

In the ninth, with the bases loaded, he singled and drove in the winning run from third.

For the third straight day, the Roadrunners fell into an early hole, climbed out of it and won the game.

On Sunday, the Owls led 2-1 in the fourth and built a 6-3 advantage after a four-run fifth.

From there, UTSA’s relief pitching and defense took over, shutting down out the Owls in four straight innings.

After reliever Kendall Dove gave up a two-run homer in the fifth, he settled down and pitched into the eighth, when center fielder Mason Lytle made a key play by throwing out a runner on the bases.

After UTSA lefty Jake Cothran faced one batter, Gunnar Brown got the last out and then worked a clean ninth inning.

Records

FAU 19-9, 2-4
UTSA 23-7, 5-1

Coming up

UTSA at TCU, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

FAU’s John Schroeder hit a solo home run to center off UTSA starter Conor Myles in the second inning. It was his second homer in two days at Roadrunner Field. FAU’s Jake Millan blasted a three-run homer off Kendall Dove in the fifth.

The Roadrunners have started conference play with series victories over teams that beat them last May in the AAC tournament.

Last May, UTSA took a No. 2 seed into the tournament in Clearwater, Fla., and lost to Charlotte, 9-5, in 12 innings. The next day, UTSA lost to FAU, 12-5, to end its season 0-2 in the double elimination format.

Last week, they opened AAC play by winning two out of three on the road at Charlotte and then followed by taking all three at home against FAU. UTSA’s last series sweep in conference play came a year ago, to the week, last March 28-30 on the road at Tulane.

NCAA basketball: Houston advances to the Final Four

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Houston Cougars are coming to San Antonio to play in the NCAA Final Four.

Top-seeded Houston built a 19-point halftime lead and then fended off a rally in the second half to beat the two seed Tennessee Vols 69-50 on Sunday in the Midwest regional final at Indianapolis.

With Tennessee trying to mount a comeback, Emanuel Sharp knocked down three three-point baskets in the final 5:29 to lift the Houston program into its seventh Final Four and its second in the last five seasons under Coach Kelvin Sampson.

The Cougars, who have won 17 in a row, are scheduled to play the Duke Blue Devils in the national semifinals on Saturday in the Alamodome.

Duke is the No. 1 seed out of the East region. The Blue Devils advanced with an 85-65 victory Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 17 points, including 10 in the first half. Sharp heated up in the second half and finished with 16. He made four of 10 from beyond the three-point arc.

Joseph Tugler pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Cougars, who out-boarded the Volunteers 42-35, including 14-12 on the offensive glass. Defensively, Houston limited Tennessee to 28.8 percent shooting.

Shut off from making drives to the basket, the Vols hoisted 29 three-point shots and made only five for 17.2 percent. The Cougars weren’t great, making only 42.4 percent from the field.

From three, the Cougars made nine of 25 for 36 percent.

First half

The Cougars surged to a 34-15 lead on the Volunteers, who shot only 21 percent from the field.

Houston didn’t set the world on fire offensively, shooting only 41 percent and making three of 10 from outside the three-point arc, but with Tennessee’s futility, the Cougars had a relatively easy time of it in the first 20 minutes.

Even with UH starting forward J’Wan Roberts on the bench with two fouls for much of the half, the Cougars were unfazed in methodically building a commanding lead.

L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 10 points and Terrence Arceneaux had eight off the bench. Joseph Tugler had six rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Tennessee shot an air ball on its first attempt of the game and struggled the rest of the half, making only 6 of 28 from the field, including 1 of 15 from three.

Houston did a good job defensively, as usual, but many of the Vols’ misses from deep came without much pressure.

Even Tennessee leading scorer Chaz Lanier was off. Lanier, who averaged 18 points a game, scored only two. He was one of nine from the field.

Records

Tennessee 30-8
Houston 34-4

Coming up

Houston vs. Duke in the national semifinals, Saturday, April 5, in San Antonio

Baseball: UTSA clinches AAC series victory over Florida Atlantic

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Ty Hodge.

Ty Hodge makes a play at shortstop Saturday as UTSA defeats the FAU Owls 7-3 at Roadrunner Field, beating the visitors twice in two days and improving to 22-7 on the season. UTSA is 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Drew Detlefsen belted two home runs and carried UTSA past the FAU Owls 7-3 on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field, clinching a series victory over one of the top-rated teams in the American Athletic Conference.

Both teams entered the series ranked among the AAC’s best in the NCAA Division I baseball RPI. UTSA was No. 71 nationally and FAU was No. 78, so the Roadrunners have likely earned some respect after coming from behind twice in two days to win.

On Friday, they fell behind 5-1 but rallied to claim a 10-7 victory. On Saturday, FAU jumped out to a 3-0 lead but could not hold off UTSA. Detlefsen and Caden Miller led the charge. Detlefsen hit a solo homer in the fourth and a three-run shot in the seventh.

Miller had sacrifice flies in the fifth and the seventh.

Starting pitcher Braylon Owens worked four innings and gave up three runs, giving way to relievers Christian Okerholm, Connor Kelley and Rob Orloski, who combined to shut out the explosive Owls the rest of the way.

Okerholm started the fifth inning and yielded three hits in 2 and 2/3. Kelley (1-0) earned his first victory of the season, striking out two and keeping FAU hitless for 1 and 1/3. Orloski pitched a clean ninth with one strikeout.

Righthander Tyler Murphy (2-2) took the loss, though he pitched well in stretches, going six innings, giving up four runs and eight hits.

Marshall Lypsey and Jake Duer, two of the top hitters in the AAC, had two hits each for the Owls. John Schroeder clubbed a two-run homer off Owens in the third inning to give FAU a 3-0 lead.

Records

FAU 19-8, 2-3
UTSA 22-7, 4-1

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Sunday at noon
UTSA at TCU, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Detlefsen, a junior college transfer from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, is batting .355 for the season. He leads the Roadrunners with eight home runs and 48 RBI in 29 games. He’s been hot this week with seven hits in 14 at bats, with three doubles and two homers. In a game against Texas State Tuesday, he exploded for four hits and seven RBI. He had four RBI on Saturday against FAU.