NEW YORK, NY — Some incredible basketball was played at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night in the 2025 Jimmy V Classic.
First, No. 10 BYU shocked Clemson on a Robert Wright III buzzer beater from deep to pull off a surreal comeback, 67-64.
“I never had a buzzer beater that was a three (pointer),” Wright III revealed in the postgame. “That was the first one. On the play, AJ (Dybantsa) wasn’t open. He was getting double-teamed. That told me I’ll be coming back to the ball. He just trusted me, and the shot went in.”
The Cougars, trailing the Tigers for a large portion of regulation, including a 21-point deficit at halftime (43-22), did not appear to find its spark until after intermission where it clawed back on both ends of the floor.
Simply a tale of two halves.
BYU outscored Clemson in the second half, 45-21, and banked one more three pointer as it did in the first 20 minutes, resulting in the major difference maker for the Cougars, among other factors. One key component in the comeback was AJ Dybantsa, a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, going off for 22 points in the second half, to finish with a stat line of 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
A Tale of Two Halves for BYU
First Half: 9-32 FG, 2-13 3PT, 2-3 FT, 3 Steals
Second Half: 16-30 FG, 3-10 3PT, 10-11 FT, 5 Steals
Regardless of the half-by-half numbers, Wright III was able to ice the game and get BYU up to an 8-1 overall record with Clemson dropping to 7-3.
And then to follow in the main event, No. 5 UConn outlasted No. 18 Florida, 77-73, which was as legitimate of a national championship matchup as you can find on a College Hoops schedule.
Todd Golden (L) and Dan Hurley (R) share a moment on Tuesday night during the 2025 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden – Image Credit: Florida Gators Basketball
Yes, because UConn and Florida have combined to win the last three NCAA Tournament championships—Huskies in 2023 and 2024 and Gators in 2025. And most certainly due to the fact of the programs raising eight-combined NCAA Tournament titles since 2000.
NCAA Tournament Championships since 2000
UConn: 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, and 2024
Florida: 2006, 2007, and 2025
But also, and it’s something that cannot be forgotten—while Florida completed its March Madness run to championship glory last season, Todd Golden’s Gators took down Dan Hurley’s Huskies along the way in the Round of 32, causing additional tension between the two winning programs and each of its fan bases.
So with that, when Tuesday night’s 9:00PM ET tipoff arrived, the first UConn-Florida meeting since the 2025 March Madness Round of 32 matchup, a sold-out Garden crowd of 19,694 riled up from beginning to end was all but guaranteed.
Florida and UConn fans filled in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night for the 2025 Jimmy V Classic as the Huskies won a contested battle by a final score of 77-73 – Image Credit: Florida Gators Basketball
On the floor for the Huskies in its winning effort to improve to 9-1, Solo Ball (19 points), Alex Karaban (13 points) and Tarris Reed Jr. (12 points), each recorded double digit scoring figures while Eric Reibe had nine points.
Hurley, UConn’s head coach, described Tuesday night’s win as “a gutty performance by us,” and later added in regards to Florida, “They’re a championship level program and one of the premier college basketball programs in modern basketball, like the last 25, 30 years. It’s one of the top five programs. So it’s an honor to share the court with them and obviously feel great about getting a win.”
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