FOX 17/Associated Press:
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — A dramatic comeback in the final minutes Saturday appeared to advance Auburn to the national-championship game on Monday night. But then everything changed in the final seconds.
The Tigers rallied from a 57-47 deficit late in the game to take a 62-60 lead over Virginia in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Saturday night, 62-60 , with seconds remaining. But a foul on a three-point try put Virginia to the foul line, and the Cavaliers’ Kyle Guy converted three free throws to win it. Auburn’s last-second shot was off-mark and Virginia walked away with the win.
The Cavaliers will play Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament national-title contest on Monday night. Texas Tech topped Michigan State , 61-51, inSaturday’s other semifinal game,
The Tigers thought for a moment they had won the game. But the foul with 0.6 seconds left was controversial as to whether Auburn’s Samir Doughty actually followed Guy on the corner shot -or if it was Guy who leaned into Doughty on the way up.
Auburn had erased a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes and led 62-60 after Guy made an off-balance 3 with 7.6 seconds left. The shot snapped a drought of more than five minutes by the Cavaliers, who then sent Jared Harper to the line with 7 seconds left.
Harper made one and Auburn, with fouls to give, did so twice. With 1.5 seconds left, Virginia (34-3) got the ball to Guy in the corner. He turned and fired and Samir Doughty, hands straight up in the air, bumped into Guy’s hip.
When the whistle blew, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl lost it on the sideline, pumping his fist and screaming.
Guy swished the first two free throws to tie it and Auburn (30-10) called a timeout to ice him. Didn’t work. He hit one more for the lead. Auburn threw a long inbound pass to Brown, but his desperation 3 was short.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
