Cavaliers carry on
Late foul call, Guy’s FTs send Virginia to program’s 1st championship game
Virginia players celebrate | after
MINNEAPOLIS — From one-and-done to NCAA Tournament miracle men, Virginia will play in the national-championship game for the first time after pulling off another last-second stunner on a disputed foul with 0.6 seconds left.
Kyle Guy made three free throws as debate immediately started over the call and Virginia celebrated its second straight can-you-believe-it play, beating Auburn 63-62 Saturday in the Final Four. These top-seeded Cavaliers now look like destiny's team. They will face Texas Tech on Monday night.
The Cavaliers (34-3) had reached the Final Four for the first time since 1984 with a wild buzzer-beater by Mahmadi Diakite to send their Elite Eight game against Purdue to overtime.
Fifth-seeded Auburn (30-10) had erased a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes and led 61-60 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 MEN’S FINAL FOUR
Championship: 9 p.m. Monday, CBS
the line with 7 seconds left.
Harper made one and Auburn, with fouls to give, did so twice. On one of them, it looked as if Ty Jerome might have doubledribbled. But there was no whistle.
With 1.5 seconds left and in need of some magic, Virginia 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. The shot bounced off the rim. Game over? Auburn started to celebrate and the PA announcer in U.S. Bank Stadium even announced the Tigers had won. But a foul had been whistled. Guy swished the first two free throws to tie it and Auburn called a timeout to ice him. Didn't work. He hit one more for the lead — and the win.