In the span of less than three weeks, Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. has risen from a projected second-round pick with promise to a sure first-round pick who may be a candidate to leap into the lottery discussion.

The NCAA made a notable Walter Clayton Jr. announcement following Florida's win over Houston in the national title game.

The 6-foot-3 Clayton, an Associated Press first-team All-American who started his career under Rick Pitino at Iona, is averaging 24.6 points through the five NCAA games, with his 123 points standing 18 more than Duke star freshman and AP national player of the year Cooper Flagg as the next-closest player.