For 30 minutes, Connecticut showed the mettle and toughness that delivered back-to-back national championships for Dan Hurley, outplaying top-seeded Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

And then Walter Clayton Jr. took over.

The Gators’ first-team All-America guard scored 13 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes on Sunday, including two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch, and Florida rallied to a scintillating 77-75 victory over the Huskies om Raleigh, N.C., ending UConn’s pursuit of a third straight title.

Florida (32-4) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and will play Maryland in the West Region semifinals in San Francisco.

UConn was seeking to become the first team to three-peat since UCLA’s run of seven straight titles from 1967-73.

Duke 89, Baylor 66 >> Tyrese Proctor couldn’t miss. And top-seeded Duke showed the toughness to push back when pushed.

Proctor had career highs of seven 3-pointers and 25 points to continue his recent tear, helping Duke beat Baylor in the second round.

Freshman star Cooper Flagg had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Blue Devils (33-3), the East Region headliners who faced little drama in two home-state wins to advance.

Alabama 80, Saint Mary’s 66 >> Alabama thundered past Saint Mary’s in the second round, using a steady stream of alley-oop dunks to reach the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive year.

Chris Youngblood led the second-seeded Crimson Tide (27-8) with 13 points. Six players finished in double figures for Alabama, including Grant Nelson, who had 12 points and eight rebounds after sitting out most of a first-round game against Robert Morris with a knee injury.

Alabama will play sixth-seeded BYU in the East Regional semifinals in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday.

Kentucky 84, Illinois 75 >> Koby Brea matched a career high with 23 points and Kentucky beat Illinois to advance beyond the NCAA’s opening weekend for the first time since 2019.

Kentucky (24-11), the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, faces No. 2 seed and Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee on Friday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats have already beaten the Volunteers twice this season.

Maryland 72, Colorado State 71 >> Derik Queen banked in a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer, and Maryland advanced to the Sweet 16 in a thriller, beating Colorado State in the second round.

Jalen Lake drilled a rainbow 3-pointer over Queen with 6 seconds left to give No. 12 seed Colorado State a 71-70 lead. The Rams were seeking to become the lowest-seeded team to reach a regional semifinal in this edition of March Madness, which had been light on upsets and buzzer-beaters.

With 3.6 seconds left, Queen drove to his left, elevated over two defenders and kissed it off the glass as the horn sounded. Queen led fourth-seeded Maryland (27-8) with 17 points.

Michigan State 71, New Mexico 63 >> Jaden Akins scored 16 points, including a 3-pointer that put MSU ahead to stay, and Tom Izzo took the Spartans to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time by beating the Lobos in Cleveland.

Izzo has 58 wins in the NCAAs, tied for fourth in a coaching career with John Calipari and Jim Boeheim.

Mississippi 91, Iowa State 78 >> Sean Pedulla scored 20 points and Jaemyn Brakefield had 19 as the Rebels beat the Cyclones in Milwaukee to reach the Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history.

Arizona 87, Oregon 83 >> Caleb Love had 29 points and nine rebounds as the Wildcats held off the Ducks in Seattle and advanced to a Sweet 16 matchup against top-seeded Duke.