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KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The # 5 seed, Auburn, is the third program to sign its ticket to the 2019 Final, joining Virginia and Texas Tech after beating the head-to-head, Kentucky 77-71, at the # 39, a thrilling victory in overtime on Sunday.
This is the first-ever appearance in the Auburn Final Four, a program that is beating under the orders of its charismatic coach, Bruce Pearl, and for Pearl himself. Pearl, in her fifth season at the helm of the Tigers program, will be the third coach for the first time to compete in the last university basketball weekend with coaches Tony Virginia and Virginia Bear and Chris Beard of Texas Tech.
The Tigers' surprise against the Wildcats in the Midwest Regional Final was crowned with three wins over the three most successful programs in the history of college basketball after Auburn's win in Kansas in the second round and from North Carolina to Sweet 16.
"It's an honor to be even on the field with these programs and then, when you play, your kids play loud and selflessly and play together.They are obviously the Cinderellas of this tournament," he said. said Pearl. "And that's what makes Mars so special, what team is it going to be?"
The Tigers (30-9) will face the No. 2 seed Cavaliers of the South Regional in Minneapolis on Saturday in a semi-final national game.
Auburn escaped in overtime to beat Kentucky 17-11, but that was not the case in the final minutes of the second half. Neither team could be offended. The Tigers scored just one goal in four and a half minutes, knocking Jared Harper out of the game, 37 seconds from the end of the game.
Harper's role in giving Auburn more time to win the match was vital. The 5-foot-11 inch guard played like a giant in the far right. He finished with 26 points and five assists, and scored or helped 14 of the Tigers' 17 points in overtime. Teammate Bryce Brown scored 24 points and recorded two steals in the extra frame.
"I have the impression that our team has played well throughout the second half, extra time," said Harper. "I can not do what I did without the support of my teammates and coaches."
PJ Washington, Kentucky, who started the NCAA tournament on the bench due to a foot injury, scored 28 goals in the loss. Like Harper, he put his team on the back. Washington was 10 of 18 off the ground, 2 of 4 at 3 points and 13 rebounds, a top in the game. For as shackled as it was a week ago, the charge he was carrying was admirable.
"They played aggressively and hard, they hurt themselves and it was an exhausting match," said Kentucky coach John Calipari. "Two of their guys had 50 points, think about it, they deserved to win the game, we were overwhelmed, we had the chance to win the game, I thought we were going to win the game until the end. the one or both games in overtime … never got in my mind we would not win the game.
The Tigers were playing without striker Chuma Okeke, who had a knee injury against the Tar Heels and would miss the rest of the NCAA tournament. Auburn received an emotion when Okeke joined the team on the bench in the second half.
But Auburn 's relentless and punitive attack inside and out was too difficult to overcome, even for Washington. At each answer, Auburn waited. And now, the Tigers have in their hands a welcome ticket for their very first Final Four.
CBS Sports was with you for full coverage of Sunday's game in Kansas City, Missouri, with our live blog below. If you have trouble viewing the blog, click here please.
Auburn vs. Kentucky updates
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