"He knows I'm pretty open to him being aggressive," Golden said. "That looked perfect as soon as it left his hand. It's a weapon, you know, and when teams are mindful of having to try to prevent that as soon as he crosses midcourt it opens up the floor a little bit more. So, he knows he has a green light."

Walter Clayton Jr. isn’t the only Gator with the freedom to shoot and the confidence to deliver. Florida has connected on 23 three-pointers across its last two games, shooting 42.6 percent from beyond the arc. The first of those contests, a home victory over Vanderbilt, came with Clayton sidelined due to an ankle injury. In that matchup, five different players hit from deep, including senior guard Will Richard, who knocked down five.

Just four days later at Auburn — one of the toughest environments in college basketball — and with Alijah Martin unavailable due to a hip pointer, six different Gators contributed from long range. Clayton added four of his own, while sophomore guard Urban Klavzar was perfect, hitting three triples on three attempts.

Will Richard (5) is up to 38.5 percent from the arc in SEC games.

"It felt great," Klavzar, the Slovenian sharp-shooter said of his performance at Auburn, which came after the Vanderbilt game where he came off the bench and hit two crucial second-half threes — his first makes in Southeastern Conference play — to help Florida build a double-digit advantage. "You always have to be ready."

Klavzar is one of several Gators known for putting in extra hours at the gym. Beyond his daily sessions, he often meets with a team manager a couple of nights each week, sometimes as late as 8 or 9 p.m., to set up the shooting machine and knock down 250 to 300 makes. Teammates Will Richard and Denzel Aberdeen follow similar routines, typically under the guidance of assistant coach Taurean Green or Jordan Talley.

This level of preparation is why UF coach Todd Golden allows his players so much freedom to shoot — yes, even from deep logo range.

"I feel like I'm a pretty good coach to play for when you're a shooter," Golden said.

Heading into the Vanderbilt matchup, Klavzar was told he’d have a larger role with Walter Clayton Jr. sidelined. At that point, he had connected on just three of 16 attempts from beyond the arc in limited action (10 games) and missed his first two shots against the Commodores. Late in the first half, he passed up an open three and drove for a floater instead, which was blocked.

From the bench, Golden made it clear: if Klavzar was open, he had to shoot — "You're one of the best shooters I've ever seen!" — or risk being pulled from the game.

Klavzar responded by draining back-to-back threes during a second-half surge that swung momentum to Florida. The bench erupted, spilling onto the floor to celebrate as Vanderbilt called a timeout, mobbing their teammate in the process.

Urban Klavzar (7) has hit five consecutive 3s bridging two games.

Saturday brought more of the same from Urban Klavzar, who connected on his lone three-pointer in the first half and added two more in the second, helping Florida build a 21-point advantage over the nation’s top-ranked team. That gave him five consecutive makes across two games, raising his SEC shooting percentage to 83.3.

"The way my season started I was like, 'Is there something wrong with the rims over [in America]?' " said Klavzar, who shot nearly 44 percent from three while playing in Spain last year. "But you just have to stay positive, keep working, keep shooting."

As a team, the Gators are hitting 34.2 percent from beyond the arc this season, including 33.9 percent in SEC play. Just three games ago, they endured a rough 4-for-27 performance in a 64-44 loss at Tennessee. Since then, the offense has clicked, with ball movement producing 20 assists against Vanderbilt and 22 at Auburn, consistently finding open shooters.



And sometimes, it’s simply Walter Clayton Jr. pulling up from near halfcourt, turning what looks like a 30-footer into a routine shot.

"His 3s were insane. He's shooting from Steph Curry range," Klavzar said. "And it looks so effortless, too. When he shoots you just have a feeling it's going to go in, even from out there that far."

Walter Clayton Jr. doing point guard things on his way to nine assists against the Tigers. 

It’s a reassuring feeling for Florida’s staff. Coach Todd Golden described Walter Clayton Jr.’s showing at Auburn as "elite," highlighting not only his shooting but also his complete floor game. Clayton delivered a career-high nine assists, managed the offense with poise, and adjusted when Auburn began sending double teams his way. He played the full 40 minutes, consistently finding teammates and forcing the Tigers to defend beyond just him.

"[That's] what you need your star player to do in an atmosphere and opportunity like that to win. I thought he was fantastic from start to finish," Golden said. "He struck an incredible balance of being aggressive and finding his teammates."

The performance drew national attention, placing Clayton firmly in the conversation for All-America recognition. Florida’s history with All-Americans is limited — the program has never had a first-team selection, though several players have earned second-, third-team, or honorable mention honors. The most recent was Scottie Wilbekin, named to the third team in 2014.

When asked Monday if he wanted to be considered among the best individual players in the country, Clayton responded:

"I want to be one of the best teams in the country," he said. "That's all that matters to me."

A fitting answer — but the shots will keep coming.

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu