Chuma Okeke, who tore his ACL in the Sweet 16, showed up to support his Auburn Tigers teammates and provide an emotional boost to the Final Four.
The Auburn Tigers are heading to their first Final Four in program history following their win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday afternoon. Despite not playing their preferred brand of basketball, Bruce Pearl’s team outlasted their SEC foes to earn a gritty overtime victory. And perhaps it was the presence of Chuma Okeke that helped give them the lift they needed to get the historic win for the school.
Okeke, a sophomore forward and key cog for the inside-out game of Auburn and in their rebounding, suffered a torn ACL in the team’s Sweet 16 victory to advance to the matchup with Kentucky in the Elite 8 on Sunday.
Despite receiving treatment at a local hospital in Louisville on Sunday afternoon, though, Okeke showed up for the second half of the Tigers’ critical matchup as they tried to earn a berth in the Final Four:
Chuma Okeke pulled up to the game from the hospital to support Auburn in the 2nd half 🙏
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2019
He tore his ACL in their last matchup in the Sweet 16 pic.twitter.com/3fHzMDZBX3
His presence seemed to undoubtedly galvanize his team as they overcame a modest halftime deficit and withstood every punch that Kentucky tried to throw in the matchup. Furthermore, Auburn stood tall in the overtime period, finally gaining firm control of the action and securing the big win.
To make Okeke’s presence and the moment even more special, it was the sophomore who was given the honor of putting the sticker on the bracket that confirmed Auburn’s trip to the Final Four.
Chuma Okeke gets the honor of stamping @AuburnMBB's place in the #FinalFour! 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/x81rfIi4xR
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2019
As Auburn was thoroughly dominating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet 16, Okeke was integral to their success. From his shooting to his defense to his work on the glass, he was helping his team control the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. Then misfortune struck in heartbreaking fashion as an awkward landing caused his season-ending injury.
It’s truly a credit to Pearl and the Tigers that they were able to overcome Okeke’s absence to beat Kentucky and reach the Final Four. Then again, given the lift that he gave his team by showing up in the second half, you could certainly say he still had a hand in making Auburn basketball history.