Florida star Alijah Martin completes unreal March Madness feat last done in 1980
03/29/2025 09:37 PM
Florida basketball has Gainesville cheering and buzzing for the first time since 2014. The Gators are back in the Final Four after beating Texas Tech 84-79. But watched Alijah Martin hit a March Madness mark not seen since 1980 to return to the big dance.
The former Florida Atlantic guard Martin now just instilled hope for players in the college basketball transfer portal. The Gators star is now part of NCAA Tournament history, per AP sports writer Mark Long on Saturday.
“Florida G Alijah Martin, who transferred from FAU, is the first player since Steve Krafcisin (UNC in 1977 and Iowa in 1980) to go to the Final Four with different teams. Surely a sign of the portal times,” Long said.
Krafcisin went to the big dance with North Carolina and then the Hawkeyes. But Martin’s Final Four feat comes in a span of two seasons.
Impact of Alijah Martin on Florida during March Madness run
Head coach Todd Golden added a talent who knew all about making it to the round of four via the 2024 portal cycle. Martin took an Owls team who caught the nation by surprise with making a deep 2022-23 run.
The Summit, Mississippi native averaged 13.6 points per game during FAU’s stunning run. He ended his time at Boca Raton by delivering three consecutive seasons of hitting more than 13 points per contest.
Martin, though, ascended to new scoring heights under Golden. The senior enjoyed a career-best 14.6 PPG and established himself as one of the Gators’ top sharpshooter options. Martin nailed 45.9% of his field goals including hitting 35.7% of his three-point baskets.
He even became unafraid to throw his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame inside to collect rebounds. Martin grabbed seven boards in back-to-back outings against Maryland and the Red Raiders. He scored 10 points in 36 minutes while helping hold off a TTU rally.
Martin is ending Florida’s decade long dry spell of missing the Final Four. But he knows this stage quite well.
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