Neither Walter Clayton nor Will Richard wanted to admit they were moved to tears shortly after No. 5 Florida basketball closed its regular season with a 90-71 win over Ole Miss before a raucous crowd of 11,191 at the O'Connell Center.

Clayton, Richard and Alijah Martin, the three starting guards that have helped propel the Florida Gators (27-4, 14-4 SEC) to a historic season, were honored before the game during Senior Day ceremonies. When all three checked out with 1:50 to a rousing ovation with UF up by 22 points, Clayton could be seen wiping away a tear or two from his cheek. Or, maybe, it was just sweat.

"Emotions were high, obviously," Clayton said. "Been here two years. It's basically family here, it's always going to be a family here, the coaching staff, the fans. It's just a lot of love so glad we could get it done."

Clayton was masterful in his final game at the O'Connell Center, dicing through and shooting over the Ole Miss defense to finish with 23 points and eight assists to just two turnovers. Richard (10 points) sank a big 3-pointer to cap a 14-0 run that put UF up 54-37 in the second half, while Martin displayed his typical toughness on both sides of the ball with 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.

"What we've been through in this program, trying to change it around to become a national powerhouse as it was, it's been special," Richard said. "It was good to get out there and play in front of the home crowd again for the last time."

Florida basketball seniors can enhance legacy this postseason

Now comes the next step. Florida basketball will open postseason play on Friday in the SEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed (7 p.m., SEC Network) facing the winner of a game between No. 7 seed Tennessee and an opponent to be determined (10 seed Mississippi State or 15 seed LSU).

“I feel really good, you know, having Walt, Will and Alijah out there, you know, being able to play through them and having their experience, and their success and their confidence, and their maturity and their leadership." Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. "You know, they've been great all year, and I don't anticipate that changing next week or the week after that.”

With the win over Ole Miss, Florida now appears in strong position to clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said postgame the Gators deserve .

"We don't really pay too much attention to that," Richard said, when asked about potentially being a No. 1 seed. "We're just trying to go out there and win every game. This is a whole new season so we're going to attack every game at a high level no matter what seed we are."

Clayton said UF's 102-100 loss to Colorado in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament drove the Gators for the entire season. Florida's improvement defensively has been stark this season, as the Gators have gone from finishing 93rd in the nation in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency last season to seventh this season.

Florida's 14 SEC wins are its most since finishing the 2016-17 season 14-4 in the conference, a year that ended with UF reaching the Elite Eight. Florida also posted two wins against No. 1 teams (vs. Tennessee, Auburn) in the regular season for the first time in program history.

"I'm ready for us, the team, to create a legacy, to win games," Clayton said. "We're gonna take that one game at a time and focus on what's in front us, do our jobs, come out to win."