The Florida Gators won 12 straight games to finish the season on top. Behind the electric shooting of Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard, the Gators are NCAA Tournament champions for the third time in program history. This is Todd Golden's first title as a head coach.
It has been a special season in Gainesville. Florida began the campaign with fairly low expectations, but Golden's squad quickly scaled the ladder in college basketball's toughest conference. Auburn was the top overall seed, but Florida won the SEC Tournament, and then won out in March — defeating both Auburn and Houston, "higher" No. 1 seeds, in the Final Four.
Clayton was the real shining star. He averaged 22.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across six tournament games, slashing .474/.435/.913 with a high degree of difficulty. We haven't seen too many shooters like Clayton. He has thus earned comparisons to past March Madness heroes, such as Oregon's Payton Pritchard or Wichita State's Fred VanVleet.
Though Clayton is absolutely the most prominent Gators prospect on draft boards, the senior combo guard is not Florida's lone 2025 draft candidate. Sophomores Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are both sneaking up mock drafts in the aftermath of the NCAA Tournament.
Here's where each might end up.
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Thomas Haugh: Philadelphia 76ers, UDFA
Florida's 6-foot-9 sophomore put together a strong March, earning legitimate NBA Draft buzz for the first time. Thomas Haugh only started five games this season and averaged 24.4 minutes, so he hasn't been a focal point of the Gators' rotation. But, when a prospect combines size, 3-point shooting, and toughness the way Haugh does, it's only natural for NBA teams to take interest.
There's a good chance Haugh opts to return to school; he feels more like a 2026 prospect than a 2025 prospect. That said, strong feedback in the pre-draft process could lead him to a different conclusion. Only time will tell. He went undrafted in FanSided's latest mock draft, but he went 35th to Philadelphia at Bleacher Report and 26th to Brooklyn at SB Nation. Let's just say he has a wide range.
If we want to pair him with an NBA team, Philadelphia feels like a good spot. The Sixers presumably plan on running everything through Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George next season, while the little remaining offensive airspace will belong to Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain. Haugh doesn't need to dominate touches; he's out there to hit spot-up 3s, attack closeouts, and hammer the glass.
The Sixers need size and physicality in the frontcourt next to Embiid, so this is a natural fit, whether it's in the second round or as an undrafted free agent.
Alex Condon: Los Angeles Clippers, 49th pick
Alex Condon is another Florida sophomore with a wide draft range. He's in the first round at ESPN (29th) and the second round at B/R (40th). He lands 49th in the FanSided mock, joining the Los Angeles Clippers.
LA has enjoyed a DPOY-worthy campaign from Ivica Zubac, but the Clippers' center depth chart is otherwise barren. Drew Eubanks isn't really an everyday player and there's only so much a team can get out of Ben Simmons small-ball. Condon feels like a smart bet. He's still relatively young at 20, with a skill set suited to the modern game.
Despite Florida's overall success, Condon's NCAA Tournament run was somewhat lackluster. He suffered an ankle injury in the Sweet 16 and was invisible for long stretches of high-profile matchups against UConn and Texas Tech. That said, he finished on a high note, logging 12 points, seven rebounds, and four steals in the title game against Houston's rabid frontcourt.
Condon needs to bulk up and improve his physicality, but teams will naturally gravitate toward a 7-footer with his mobility, floor-spacing, and passing. Condon navigates tight spaces well as a face-up driver, he makes quick reads on the move, and he's an impactful shot-blocking presence on the other end.
Walter Clayton Jr.: Orlando Magic, 23rd pick
Walter Clayton Jr. was the biggest winner of the NCAA Tournament, on multiple levels. He's forever a champ, and now, he's probably a first-round pick. There's still a lot of time for boards to shift between now and June, but Clayton has all the momentum. This was not a fluke run either. It didn't come out of left field. Clayton was always a tremendous talent. He simply needed a stage big enough to catch NBA attention.
Clayton has mostly earned a second-round projection this season, but now a top-30 bid feels like the logical outcome. Concerns about defense and court vision persist, but Clayton is a dynamic shooter with the quickness and craftiness to get downhill and score with finesse around the lane. Few more polished guard scorers exist in this draft, which should benefit Clayton.
The Orlando Magic feel like the obvious destination. Clayton is a local product; he was born 90 minutes outside of Orlando. It's not hard for Magic scouts to get eyeballs on Gators basketball. He is also a tremendous fit. The Magic need backcourt depth, and more importantly, the Magic need shooters with real gravitational pull. Clayton can oblige.
He's not the most natural playmaker, but Clayton can comfortably take a backseat to Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero in Orlando. He'd get to step into open spot-up 3s and attack rotating defenses off the catch, all while operating as a microwave on-ball generator when the offense slows down.