Last-second foul helps Virginia upend Auburn in Final Four, reach national title game
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMOREMINNEAPOLIS — In a battle between two contrasting tempos, Virginia slowed the pace just enough to escape giant-killer Auburn, 63-62, on Saturday in the Final Four, earning a spot in the national championship game on Monday.
Trailing by 10 with five minutes left, the Tigers came storming back and it looked as if the No. 5-seed was going to pull off some more tournament magic. Bryce Brown’s heroics in the closing minutes — three late dagger three-pointers — made it look like the Tigers were heading to the national title game.Pace aside, the Cavs made shots when it mattered. Virginia got offense from its best players to advance. Jerome’s 13 first-half points kept UVA in it early and he finished with a game-high 21.
The Cavaliers eventually settled into their style of play in the second half, using a suffocating defense to turn the momentum of the game. Auburn kept its close with its high volume of outside shots . The Tigers also used full-court pressure to try to force turnovers and offset Virginia’s methodical pace on offense. It ultimately wasn’t enough.
Virginia got to Minneapolis on the tournament’s most thrilling game in the Elite Eight, escaping Purdue in overtime thanks to a game-tying buzzer-beater by Mamadi Diakite. Kihei Clark, the Cavaliers’ point guard who bulleted the season-saving pass to Diakite in the closing seconds of that Purdue game, said that “everything had to go right” for Virginia to survive.
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