Celebrations aplenty across UF's campus after Florida basketball's win, Final Four berth

AI-assisted summaryThe Florida Gators men’s basketball team defeated Texas Tech in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four.The game was a nail-biter, with Florida trailing for much of the second half before mounting a furious comeback in the final minutes.Gators fans in Gainesville and around UF’s campus erupted in celebration as Florida secured the victory.The Gators will now face the winner of the Midwest Regional final in the Final Four in San Antonio.GAINESVILLE — Growing up, Jack O’Keefe heard the stories.The Gainesville native and UF fifth-year senior understood the excellence of the Gators. As a child, he remembered the national titles of 2006, ‘07 and ‘08. As a student, though, he waited for his flashbulb memory — ones shared by UF students throughout the eras.

Saturday night, O’Keefe got his: Where were you when Walter Clayton Jr. carried Florida basketball to the Final Four?Where were you when Chris Chiozza beat Wisconsin? Where were you when Ahmad Black decked Oklahoma? Where were you when Danny Wuerffel put up 48 unanswered on Tennessee?

It was the loudest I ever heard a bar in Gainesville. It was one of those rare moments where it was so loud it felt quiet.

Turns out he experienced it in the area where moments of sorrow and jubilation have been felt for decades – just across UF’s campus at MacDinton’s Irish Pub (formerly Social at Midtown until a few months ago).A confidence early onThe first traces of “Go Gators” came on the corner of NW 13th Street and 3rd Ave. So much has changed on that block since UF’s last trip to the Final Four in 2014, but two things remained constant Saturday – the orange and blue paraphernalia and the Krispy Kreme with its ever-present massive sign.In Midtown, students were ready to party, and the bars knew it. MadecDinton’s charged $40 for entry, but many students decided to pay. After all, moments of celebration have been rare in Gainesville. A current UF senior has experienced one winning football season and zero NCAA Tournament wins. Sure, baseball and softball have had massive success, but those sports hold their championships in the summer when many students have left town.The buzz on the streets was electric. I’ve lived in Gainesville since 2018, and I had never seen this much excitement for a basketball game. It surpassed most football games in those seven years. Once the game tipped off, fans became glued to every TV. Many probably hadn’t heard of Thomas Haugh three weeks ago, but he and others became beloved immediately.I watched Florida’s Elite Eight game vs. Texas Tech at the bar – along with hundreds of Gator fans of all ages – and underwent the same feelings you all felt, whether in San Francisco, Gainesville or throughout the Gator nation.

No smiles left

The bar cut off the game audio and blasted Florida’s fight song – creating massive cheers of “GO GATORS.” Then came Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” in full. Was it a Saturday night at the Swamp? No. But I’d be lying if I said the hairs on the arm didn’t stand up.First, it was a quiet understanding – realizing this would be more UConn and less Maryland. As the Red Raiders’ lead grew, and the Gators couldn’t hit the side of a ship, the worry became a full-blown panic.The yells at referees for missing a foul, or for UF failing to secure another offensive rebound grew to a fever pitch.O’Keefe said his confidence got low, but he never allowed doubt to creep in.“With these types of players, there’s always a chance,” O’Keefe said. “We’re a type of team that can always make a run, always hit a couple shots, get a couple stops, and nothing can stop us at that point.”O’Keefe was in the minority, though, as a feeling of resignation and acceptance fell over MacDinton’s. Especially when TTU led by nine with three minutes left.A ripple becomes a tsunamiEverything changed, though, when Haugh hit his first three…and then his second. Then Clayton tied the game, and the wave of excitement continued to grow and grow.Then, like a tsunami, the wave blew through and created a massive roar. That occurred when Clayton passed up an easy game-tying layup, stepped back and drained the go-ahead triple.Everything seemed to move in slow motion afterwards, from Darrion Williams’ missed threes to Alijah Martin’s clutch free-throw shooting. Those special and excruciating moments in sports when you control the game, but you also know you can only lose it.That air of confidence continued for much of the first half, even as Florida struggled and took a three-point lead into the locker room. After all, it led Maryland by just two Thursday and exploded to a double-digit win.Once it became clear Texas Tech wasn’t Maryland, the vibes began to change.UF, though, didn’t lose it, and once Alex Condon stole TTU’s inbounds pass, everything felt like a daze. The beer flowed. Fans smiled, hugged strangers and cried – all at once.O’Keefe called the game a “insane roller coaster of emotions.” He’ll take it, given that he’s seen two missed tournaments and one win in his five years.“I’ve seen the ups. I’ve seen the downs. I’ve been here forever, and to see us back at the pinnacle of college basketball is incredible,” O’Keefe said. “This is what we deserve, and we’re showing where we’re the best of the best.”Trent Phillips attended UF’s last Final Four game in 2014. He cried his eyeballs out in Arlington vs. UConn and was ready to do the same Saturday. Then the Gators depth arrived.“They got great experience. A-Mart’s been in the Final Four. Walt has played for years,” Phillips said. “It comes down to is depth. You got guys that can come off the bench and give you valuable minutes That’s how you get deep in March.”The bar began to empty out, so I moved to The Swamp. It might be a different location than during the Gators glory days, but the history of the place still lights up the walls. There’s a signed poster of the “Find a Way” UF squad of 1994. There’s the Gainesville Sun frontpage of the first national title team in 2006.In eight days will another piece of memorabilia be added to those walls? We’ll find out in San Antonio.Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.